Experimental manipulation of scavenger and herbivore functional role and their effects on plant communities following mass mortality events

<p>We designed an experiment to measure the relative importance of bottom-up forces (nutrient addition) and top-down forces (impairment of obligate scavenger and herbivore functional roles) generated by experimental carrion deployment to simulate mass mortality events on the local plant community. In our experimental plots, we measured changes in plant functional groups before and for three years after experimental carrion deployment. Additionally, we monitored cherrybark oak (<em>Quercus pagoda</em>) seedlings' growth and survival three years after being transplanted in the experimental plots. </p>