The return of the wolf to Germany offers a unique opportunity to study the dietary ecology of a large carnivore under present-day cultural landscape conditions. The aim of this proposed pilot project is, for the first time in Germany, to use stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) to explore evidence of specialised and potentially anthropogenically influenced dietary niches of wolves, and to analyse regional and seasonal differences in their hunting behaviour within the framework of a retrospective monitoring study spanning more than ten years.
Given that wolf territories in the Lausitz are considerably smaller than those in the eastern European regions of origin, a high prey availability is assumed, which may lead to the development of clearly defined dietary niches for individual territories, packs, or individuals. Accordingly, it is expected that the studied territories of Bautzen and Görlitz (Lausitz, Saxony) will differ in their isotopic signatures, and that evidence of individual or pack-specific specialisations will be identifiable. A particular focus is placed on the indicative detection of possible anthropogenic dietary influences. Low δ¹³C values may point to the predation of livestock, while elevated δ¹⁵N values in combination with low δ¹³C values are interpreted as possible indicators of anthropogenically influenced food sources (e.g. food waste).
The explicit aim is not a quantitative determination, but rather an examination of whether such isotopic signals can be detected in individual animals, territories, or time periods. Isotope analysis of hair allows for a temporally integrated reconstruction of diet over several months; through serial sampling of individual hair segments, seasonal changes can furthermore be captured with high temporal resolution. Compared to established monitoring methods such as stomach content analysis, this approach represents a significant methodological advancement. The temporal spread of the examined carcasses (2011–2023) additionally enables a retrospective examination of possible changes in dietary ecology during the wolf's recolonisation phase in the Lausitz.
