Data from: Pyrosequencing of prey DNA in reptile faeces: analysis of earthworm consumption by slow worms

Little quantitative ecological information exists on the diets of most
invertebrate feeding reptiles, particularly nocturnal or elusive species
that are difficult to observe. In the UK and elsewhere, reptiles are
legally required to be relocated before land development can proceed, but
without knowledge of their dietary requirements the suitability of
receptor sites cannot be known. Here we tested the ability of non-invasive
DNA-based molecular diagnostics (454 pyrosequencing) to analyse reptile
diets, with the specific aims of determining which earthworm species are
exploited by slow worms (the legless lizard Anguis fragilis) and whether
they feed on the deeper-living earthworm species which only come to the
surface at night. Slow worm faecal samples from four different habitats
were analysed using earthworm-specific PCR primers. We found that 86% of
slow worms (N=80) had eaten earthworms. In lowland heath and marshy, acid
grassland Lumbricus rubellus, a surface-dwelling epigeic species,
dominated slow worm diet. In two other habitats, riverside pasture and
calciferous coarse grassland, diet was dominated by deeper-living anecic
and endogeic species. We conclude that all species of earthworm are
exploited by these reptiles and lack of specialisation allows slow worms
to thrive in a wide variety of habitats. Pyrosequencing of prey DNA in
faeces showed promise as a practical, rapid and relatively inexpensive
means of obtaining detailed and valuable ecological information on the
diets of reptiles.