SREL Reprint #3402

Abiotic and biotic factors modulate carrion fate and vertebrate scavenging communities

Kelsey L. Turner1,4, Erin F. Abernethy2,4, L. Mike Conner3, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.1,4, and James C. Beasley1,4

1Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Box Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 USA
2Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory,
P.O. Box Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 USA
3JosephW. Jones Ecological Research Center, 3988 Jones Center Drive, Newton, GA 39870 USA
4University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Box Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 USA

Abstract: Carrion is a valuable nutrient resource used by a diversity of vertebrates across the globe. However, vertebrate scavenging ecology remains an understudied area of science, especially in regards to how biotic and abiotic factors influence scavenging community composition. Here we elucidate how fundamental biotic and abiotic factors interact to modulate the efficiency and composition of vertebrate scavengers by investigating scavenging dynamics across a large gradient in carcass sizes and habitat types representative of many temperate ecosystems, as well as between two seasons reflecting differences in invertebrate activity. We found carcass size and season influenced carcass fate and persistence, as well as the richness and composition of vertebrate scavenger communities utilizing carrion resources. Species richness, which increased as carcass size increased and was higher during the cool season, had a significant effect on carcass persistence. In addition, habitat type influenced carcass detection times by vertebrates, and we observed relatively distinct scavenging communities associated with carcasses of differing sizes. This research highlights a pervasive limitation to the interpretation of results of previous studies as research failing to incorporate carcass size and habitat type could result in the over or underrepresentation of vertebrate scavengers in food web dynamics.

Keywords: carcass; carrion; community ecology; food web dynamics; rabbit; rat; scavenging ecology;
vertebrate scavenger; wild pig

SREL Reprint #3402

Turner, K. L., E. F. Abernethy, L. M. Conner, O. E. Rhodes Jr., and J. C. Beasley. 2017. Abiotic and biotic factors modulate carrion fate and vertebrate scavenging communities. Ecology 98(9): 2413-2424.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).