North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) diet depends on stream flow, water quality, and landscape urbanization

North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) diet depends on stream flow, water quality, and landscape urbanization | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 30 December 2025 V1 Latest version Share on North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) diet depends on stream flow, water quality, and landscape urbanization Authors : Lindsey Wilson 0009-0009-5338-2149 [email protected] , Alexandria Lupton , Johnny Peterson , William Taylor , April Harris , Auston Rutlekowski , Adam Reitzel , and Sara Gagné Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176710346.66792215/v1 193 views 73 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract As urbanization rapidly expands, the divide between anthropogenic activities and naturally occurring wildlife species is becoming increasingly blurred. Many mesopredators, including the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), exhibit behavioral flexibility in response to the unique selective pressures in urban landscapes. Despite the occurrence and apparent success of river otters in urban areas in the United States, to our knowledge, there are no published studies of the impacts of urbanization on the plasticity of the species’ diet. We collected 105 river otter spraints from six stream reaches across Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA to investigate diet composition using morphological analysis and eDNA metabarcoding. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMM) and redundancy analyses (RDA) to test for the effects of landscape urbanization, stream discharge, water quality, and seasonality on prey species richness and community composition. None of the predictor variables had significant effects on prey species richness. However, all predictor variables significantly influenced prey community composition. Diet characterization from morphological and molecular analysis of spraints revealed that river otters primarily consumed fish (Perciformes, Siluriformes, Cyprinodontiformes), crayfish (Procambarus, Faxonius, Cambarus), and amphibians (Lithobates), as well as with mammals, reptiles, birds, and non-crayfish macroinvertebrates. These results support the hypothesis that river otters are true opportunists, taking advantage of readily available prey across different environmental contexts. We recommend that future research explore additional water quality parameters, assess how urbanization influences the nutritional quality of available prey, and investigate patterns of otter movements in urban landscapes. Supplementary Material File (wilson_et_al._manuscript.docx) Download 16.12 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 30 December 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords community ecology ecosystem freshwater sequencing terrestrial vertebrate Authors Affiliations Lindsey Wilson 0009-0009-5338-2149 [email protected] The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author Alexandria Lupton North Carolina State University at Raleigh View all articles by this author Johnny Peterson Mecklenburg County Government View all articles by this author William Taylor The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author April Harris The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author Auston Rutlekowski The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author Adam Reitzel The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author Sara Gagné The University of North Carolina at Charlotte View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 193 views 73 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Lindsey Wilson, Alexandria Lupton, Johnny Peterson, et al. North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) diet depends on stream flow, water quality, and landscape urbanization. Authorea . 30 December 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176710346.66792215/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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