Efficiency and composition of vertebrate scavengers at the land-water interface in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Schlichting, Peter E.; Love, Cara N.; Webster, Sarah C.; Beasley, James C.

doi:10.1016/j.fooweb.2018.e00107

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Although terrestrial vertebrate scavenging was traditionally thought to be dominated by obligate scavengers (i.e., vultures), there is increased recognition that most vertebrates are facultative scavengers, including species not usually associated with carrion 5,6 . Facultative scavengers are well documented taking carrion globally 7,8 and often dominate acquisition of small to mid-sized carrion [9][10][11][12][13] , yet little is known about the explicit role of many facultative scavengers in food web dynamics.…”

Section: Effect Of Mammalian Mesopredator Exclusion On Vertebrate Scamentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of mammalian mesopredator exclusion on vertebrate scavenging communities

Turner

Conner

Beasley

2020

Sci Rep

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Carrion is a valuable resource used by facultative scavengers across the globe. Due to conflicts with humans, many vertebrate scavengers have experienced population declines due to direct persecution or indirect effects of human activities. However, little is known about the implications of altered scavenger community composition on the fate and efficiency of carrion removal within ecosystems. In particular, mammalian mesopredators are efficient scavengers that are often subjected to control, thus, it is important to understand how the reduction of this scavenger guild influences the fate of carrion resources and efficiency of carrion removal within ecosystems. We evaluated the influence of the absence of mammalian mesopredators on vertebrate scavenging dynamics by comparing the efficiency of carrion removal and species composition at carrion between sites where we experimentally manipulated mesopredator abundance and paired control sites. Overall scavenging rates were high, even within our mesopredator exclusion sites (79% of carcasses). Despite the exclusion of an entire guild of dominant scavengers, we saw little effect on scavenging dynamics due to the extensive acquisition of carrion by avian scavengers. However, we observed a slight reduction in vertebrate scavenging efficiency in sites where mesopredators were excluded. Our results suggest vertebrate communities are highly efficient at carrion removal, as we saw a functional response by avian scavengers to increased carrion availability. These data provide insights into the impact of mesopredator control on food web dynamics, and build upon the growing body of knowledge investigating the role of vertebrate scavengers on ecosystem services provided through carrion removal.

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Section: Effect Of Mammalian Mesopredator Exclusion On Vertebrate Scamentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of mammalian mesopredator exclusion on vertebrate scavenging communities

Turner

Conner

Beasley

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Increased heterogeneity in degree distributions seems to foster a more stable food web (Neutel et al 2002). Because scavenging results in sometimes unorthodox links between species (DeVault et al 2003; chapter "Vertebrate Scavenging Communities"), scavenging increases connectance in food webs (Wilson and Wolkovich 2011;Schlichting et al 2019). Moreover, the degree to which numerically dominant facultative scavengers participate in scavenging behavior varies widely.…”

Section: Scavenging and Food Web Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While decomposers mostly enhance/promote nutrient recycling into the soil surrounding the carcass, arthropods and vertebrate scavengers contribute to the transport of carrion-derived nutrients (Schlichting et al 2019;chapter "Carrion Decomposition"). This is mainly done by consuming carrion and later producing excretions away from the carcass, but also by transporting parts of the carcasses.…”

Section: Transportation Of Carrion Within and Between Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Functions of Vertebrate Scavenging

Beasley

Olson

Selva

et al. 2019

Wildlife Research Monographs

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“…Carcasses of salmon may be consumed by a wide range of scavengers including birds, mammals, and invertebrates [10,11]. Moreover, carcasses in riparian zones have recently been documented to support a diverse community of scavengers [12]. Presently, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian stocks approximately a ton of fish a week with their ultimate fate unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Report on the Short-Term Scavenging of Decomposing Native and Non-Native Trout in Appalachian Streams

Unger

Hickman²

2019

Fishes

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Trout fishing is one of the primary recreational activities in the southern Appalachians, with large amounts of fish stocked on a regular basis. However, very little is known regarding the fate of hatchery reared carcasses not captured by anglers, representing a likely important ecological resource to local communities. We tested the efficacy of underwater video to characterize short term decomposition and consumption by aquatic scavengers of native brook and non-native rainbow trout, Salvelinus fontinalis and Oncorhychus mykiss. This study took place on the Cherokee Qualla Boundary in North Carolina, a location with one of the highest riverine stocked trout densities in the eastern United States. During May 2017, 10 waterproof cameras were deployed for 1-hour intervals on each carcass twice daily for a period of 5 days. We observed that 75.3% of recorded video contained river chub, Nocomis micropogon, with only 24.7% visited by crayfish, with a maximum of 9 and a mean of 1.93 for N. micropogon. Half of the carcasses were removed within 2 days. Based on natural history evidence and some trail cameras, we believe that otters were removing carcasses. Otters showed no preference for either trout species. Underwater video allowed us to characterize initial decomposition within stream diurnal scavengers in a short period using a visual, non-destructive low-cost method. Future studies should monitor large mammalian scavengers to further elucidate the role of fish stocking on aquatic communities.

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Efficiency and composition of vertebrate scavengers at the land-water interface in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Cited by 29 publications

References 56 publications

Effect of mammalian mesopredator exclusion on vertebrate scavenging communities

Effect of mammalian mesopredator exclusion on vertebrate scavenging communities

Ecological Functions of Vertebrate Scavenging

Report on the Short-Term Scavenging of Decomposing Native and Non-Native Trout in Appalachian Streams

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