Data from: Investigating anthropogenic and social influences on diet of semi-urban vervet monkeys using DNA metabarcoding

In human-dominated ecosystems, wildlife has been forced either to
disappear or to adapt its behaviour in order to exploit the opportunities
associated with anthropogenic activities. Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus
pygerythrus) are omnivorous primates whose natural habitats have been
progressively encroached upon by expanding suburban development. Due to
their generalist and opportunistic feeding behaviour, vervet monkeys have
successfully adapted to semi-urban environments. Characterising the
composition of their diet can therefore reveal how they exploit
anthropogenic resources and uncover new foraging behaviours. However,
accurately determining their diet through direct observation can be
challenging, especially in semi-urban areas where numerous anthropogenic
structures obstruct visibility. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been proposed
as a non-invasive complementary method to determine diet and foraging
strategies by analysing the DNA mixtures present in faecal samples. In
this study, we determined the dietary components of vervet monkeys using
DNA metabarcoding of 447 faecal samples collected from two monkey groups
over four months in a semi-urban neighbourhood in South Africa, and
compared the results with observational foraging data to elucidate how
vervet monkeys exploit anthropogenic resources. Subsequently, we evaluated
whether dietary patterns can be distinguished between groups and within
matrilineal levels. We found DNA metabarcoding data to be consistent with
observational data, but the former revealed a broader diversity of
consumed taxa. Additionally, we detected a difference in diet between the
two groups, and a tendency for similar dietary patterns among matrilineal
pairs compared to other group members. Our results support the use of the
DNA metabarcoding methodology, both to determine the complex diet of
omnivorous species in urbanised habitats and to address interindividual
foraging behaviours.