OTU data and analysis files for interspecies comparison of Philippine terrestrial small mammal diets

Island radiations represent unique evolutionary histories in unique
ecological contexts. These radiations provide opportunities to investigate
ecological diversification in groups that typically exhibit niche
partitioning among their constituents, including partitioning of food
resources. DNA metabarcoding produces finer levels of diet identification
than traditional methods, allowing us to examine dietary niche
partitioning in communities or clades in which species share superficially
similar diets. Here we use DNA metabarcoding to investigate dietary niche
partitioning in an endemic radiation of mammals in the Philippines. Our
data reveal niche partitioning as well as phylogenetically-uncorrelated
adaptive evolution in this small mammal community. Because 70% of the
focal species belong to the tribe Chrotomyini, an endemic Philippine
radiation of murid rodents that feed extensively on earthworms, this study
sheds light on dietary adaptation and its role in the co-occurrence of
closely related species. Our results reveal fine-scale resource
partitioning within this community; our data provide compelling evidence
for niche partitioning of diet that was masked by previous diet categories
and will help in further dissecting the model adaptive radiation of
endemic small mammals on Luzon. This study reinforces the notion that DNA
metabarcoding can be a valuable tool for investigating both ecological
relationships and evolutionary ecology at the community and phylogenetic
level, respectively.