ASV output data for all in the details: A first assessment for the viability of metabarcoding in diet composition analysis of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

DNA metabarcoding is an emerging contemporary technique in diet composition studies and stands to fill key knowledge gaps left by traditional diet analysis methods. For endangered species such as the African wild dog, the fulfilment of these knowledge gaps presents an opportunity for improved management practices and vulnerability assessments. There are an estimated ~600 African wild dogs remaining in South Africa. These dogs are generally understood to prey upon impala Aepyceros melampus and other medium-sized ungulates. Here, we present the first assessment of DNA metabarcoding as a valuable method for diet composition analysis of this highly social carnivore. DNA from faecal samples collected across seven landscape types in the Kruger National Park (KNP) was extracted and used to determine the presence of seven unique prey taxa, including novel species such as the Cape hare Lepus capensis. Impala was identified as a prey item in all landscape types, which complements the diet prefere..., Sample collection
Fourteen faecal samples were collected across seven landscape types of the Kruger National Park and initially stored at -20°C at the SANParks Veterinary Wildlife Services Biobank. They were released to Crossey and colleagues at the time of their study in 2021 after being cleared as negative for tuberculosis. Samples were lyophilized from frozen, ground and sieved through a 20µm metal mesh strainer in sterile laboratory conditions. This was done to remove undigested material from the faecal matter.
DNA extraction and sequencing
DNA extractions were conducted with 40 mg of faecal sample added to 140 µl of water in a 2 ml Eppendorf® (Merck) tube. Extractions were conducted for 14 samples using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue Extraction Kit (QIAGEN) with modifications. Modifications included a one-minute vortex step before a one-minute centrifugation step at 14000 rpm following the three-hour incubation step at 56°C after the addition of proteinase K (Inqaba Biotech). Follow..., , # ASV output data for wild dog diet composition analysis by metabarcoding

Contained in this data file are the output ASV sequences and their taxonomic matches produced using the DADA2 pipeline in R. These are the results of DNA extraction from 11 samples of wild dog faeces across landscape types in the Kruger National Park. One sheet contains all sequences produced by the pipeline, while another sheet shows the resultant sequences remaining after filtering the dataset for percent identity (pid) matches greater than 95% and removing contaminant DNA. Sample landscape types are also given.

## Description of the data and file structure

The data is provided in an excel format with percent compositions of each identified species given for each sample as well as information on the quality of the taxonomic match provided. NA indicates no species match. These can be used to estimate species contributions to diet in each landscape type according to which samples fall in each landscape type. Ve...,