Scavenging with invasive species

Newsome, Thomas; Cairncross, Rhys; Cunningham, Calum X.; Spencer, Emma E.; Barton, Philip S.; Ripple, William J.; Wirsing, Aaron J.

doi:10.1111/brv.13035

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 165 publications

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“…Another important epidemiological cycle of ASF without the involvement of soft tick affects wild boars and domestic pigs. The Eurasian wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) is a native wild species of most of Europe, Asia and Northern Africa, with an increasing population [ 201 ], and has been introduced in other continents and islands [ 202 ]. The high livestock-wildlife interaction in some European countries, together with poor biosafety measures, make this species a crucial participant within the domestic cycle.…”

Section: Epidemiological Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogenicity and virulence of African swine fever virus

Ruedas-Torres,

Thi to Nga,

Salguero

2024

Virulence

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Section: Epidemiological Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogenicity and virulence of African swine fever virus

Ruedas-Torres,

Thi to Nga,

Salguero

2024

Virulence

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Carrion use by a reptile is influenced by season, habitat and competition with an apex mammalian scavenger

Cairncross,

Spencer,

Meisuria

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Scavenging on carrion is critical and often fiercely competitive for a range of vertebrate species, from native apex predators to invasive species and even reptiles. Within Australia, a notable reptilian scavenger is the lace monitor (Varanus varius). In this study, we quantified lace monitor activity at carcasses and compared their use of the resource to common co‐occurring predators that also scavenge; the invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and a native apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo). To do so, we deployed 80 macropod carcasses equally across seasons (summer and winter) and habitats (open and closed canopy) in a temperate bioregion and monitored vertebrate scavenging with camera traps. Lace monitor activity (visitation at carcass sites inclusive of both non‐scavenging and scavenging events) was 1.67 times higher in summer than in winter, but it did not differ across closed and open habitats. Monitor activity occurred earlier after carcass deployment at sites deployed in summer than winter (1.47‐fold earlier), and at carcasses in open than closed habitats (0.22‐fold earlier). Lace monitors initially discovered carcass sites faster in summer than winter and before both red foxes and dingoes in summer. The species was active diurnally in both summer and winter, differing from the red fox, which was strictly a nocturnal scavenger and the dingo, which was significantly more active at night across both seasons. Finally, we found that lace monitor activity at carcass sites decreased slightly with higher rates of activity for dingoes (0.04‐fold decrease as dingo activity increased), but not with red fox activity. Our results have implications for understanding lace monitor foraging and scavenging and highlight the value of monitoring carcasses to provide important insights into the behaviour of varanid lizards that scavenge.

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Carrion ecology in inland aquatic ecosystems: a systematic review

Orihuela‐Torres,

Morales‐Reyes,

Hermoso

et al. 2024

Biological Reviews

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Carrion ecology, i.e. the decomposition and recycling of dead animals, has traditionally been neglected as a key process in ecosystem functioning. Similarly, despite the large threats that inland aquatic ecosystems (hereafter, aquatic ecosystems) face, the scientific literature is still largely biased towards terrestrial ecosystems. However, there has been an increasing number of studies on carrion ecology in aquatic ecosystems in the last two decades, highlighting their key role in nutrient recirculation and disease control. Thus, a global assessment of the ecological role of scavengers and carrion in aquatic ecosystems is timely. Here, we systematically reviewed scientific articles on carrion ecology in aquatic ecosystems to describe current knowledge, identify research gaps, and promote future studies that will deepen our understanding in this field. We found 206 relevant studies, which were highly biased towards North America, especially in lotic ecosystems, covering short time periods, and overlooking seasonality, a crucial factor in scavenging dynamics. Despite the low number of studies on scavenger assemblages, we recorded 55 orders of invertebrates from 179 families, with Diptera and Coleoptera being the most frequent orders. For vertebrates, we recorded 114 species from 40 families, with birds and mammals being the most common. Our results emphasise the significance of scavengers in stabilising food webs and facilitating nutrient cycling within aquatic ecosystems. Studies were strongly biased towards the assessment of the ecosystem effects of carrion, particularly of salmon carcasses in North America. The second most common research topic was the foraging ecology of vertebrates, which was mostly evaluated through sporadic observations of carrion in the diet. Articles assessing scavenger assemblages were scarce, and only a limited number of these studies evaluated carrion consumption patterns, which serve as a proxy for the role of scavengers in the ecosystem. The ecological functions performed by carrion and scavengers in aquatic ecosystems were diverse. The main ecological functions were carrion as food source and the role of scavengers in nutrient cycling, which appeared in 52.4% (N = 108) and 46.1% (N = 95) of publications, respectively. Ecosystem threats associated with carrion ecology were also identified, the most common being water eutrophication and carrion as source of pathogens (2.4%; N = 5 each). Regarding the effects of carrion on ecosystems, we found studies spanning all ecosystem components (N = 85), from soil or the water column to terrestrial vertebrates, with a particular focus on aquatic invertebrates and fish. Most of these articles found positive effects of carrion on ecosystems (e.g. higher species richness, abundance or fitness; 84.7%; N = 72), while a minority found negative effects, changes in community composition, or even no effects. Enhancing our understanding of scavengers and carrion in aquatic ecosystems is crucial to assessing their current and future roles amidst global change, mainly for water–land nutrient transport, due to changes in the amount and speed of nutrient movement, and for disease control and impact mitigation, due to the predicted increase in occurrence and magnitude of mortality events in aquatic ecosystems.

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Scavenging with invasive species

Cited by 3 publications

References 165 publications

Pathogenicity and virulence of African swine fever virus

Pathogenicity and virulence of African swine fever virus

Carrion use by a reptile is influenced by season, habitat and competition with an apex mammalian scavenger

Carrion ecology in inland aquatic ecosystems: a systematic review

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