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190 results for “Carrion”
Data from: Effects of resource availability and interspecific interactions on Arctic and red foxes' winter use of ungulate carrion in the Fennoscandian low-Arctic tundra
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Use of charred vertebrate carcasses by carrion beetles: Implications of controlled burns and wildfires for the American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus
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Scavenger community and carrion decomposition in a Tibetan alpine meadow
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RNA allows identifying the consumption of carrion prey
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Temperature stress induces mites to help their carrion beetle hosts by eliminating rival blowflies
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Coyotes take advantage of ungulate carrion subsidies as wolves recolonize Washington
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Ecological drivers of carrion beetle (Staphylinidae: Silphinae) diversity on small to large mammals
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Ant community dynamics and carrion decomposition in Mediterranean oaks
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Data from: Prey availability and ambient temperature influence carrion persistence in the boreal forest
<p>1. Scavenging by vertebrates can have important impacts on food web stability and persistence, and can alter the distribution of nutrients throughout the landscape. However, scavenging communities have been understudied in most regions around the globe, and we lack understanding of the biotic drivers of vertebrate scavenging dynamics.</p> <p>2. In this paper, we examined how changes in prey density and carrion biomass caused by population cycles of a primary prey species, the snowshoe hare (<i>Lepus americanus</i>), influence scavenging communities in the northern boreal forest. We further examined the impact of habitat and temperature on scavenging dynamics.</p> <p>3. We monitored the persistence time, time until first scavenger, and number of species scavenging experimentally-placed hare carcasses over four consecutive years in the southwestern Yukon. We simultaneously monitored hare density and carrion biomass to examine their influence relative to temperature, habitat, and seasonal effects. For the primary scavengers, we developed species-specific scavenging models to determine variation on the effects of these factors across species, and determine which species may be driving temporal patterns in the entire community.</p> <p>4. We found that the efficiency of the scavenging community was affected by hare density, with carcass persistence decreasing when snowshoe hare densities declined, mainly due to increased scavenging rates by Canada lynx (<i>Lynx canadensis</i>). However, prey density did not influence the number of species scavenging a given carcass, suggesting prey abundance affects carrion recycling but not necessarily the number of connections in the food web. In addition, scavenging rates increased in warmer temperatures, and there were strong seasonal effects on the richness of the vertebrate scavenging community.</p> <p>5. Our results demonstrate that vertebrate scavenging communities are sensitive to changes in species' demography and environmental change, and that future assessments of food web dynamics should consider links established through scavenging.</p>
Data from: Body size variation in a guild of carrion beetles
<p>Body size is a key biological trait, influencing the biomechanics, physiology, behaviour, and ecology of species. Describing variation in body size within and among co-occurring species within an ecological guild can provide important context for understanding the ecology of species and the structure of ecological communities. Here, we focus on a guild of carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) co-occurring in southeastern Ontario, Canada. We examine how body size varies (i) among species, (ii) within species, including among sexes, and (iii) across the active season, contrasting estimates of size based on mass with those based on morphological structure (elytron length). We find that body size varies significantly both within and among species. Five focal species show evidence for sexual dimorphism in size. All focal species show significant seasonal variation in size, but these patterns differ across species, and depend on our estimates of size. Overall, the observed variation in body size is most consistent with widespread environmental constraints on size and/or diverse selective pressures favouring different sizes within and among species. We discuss possible selective pressures acting on size within and among species; however, the causes and consequences of the variation in body size that we describe remain to be discovered.</p>
Data from: Partitioning resources through the seasons: abundance and phenology of carrion beetles (Silphidae) in southeastern Ontario
<p>The coexistence of ecologically similar species is thought to require resource partitioning to minimize competition. Phenological, seasonal differences in activity may provide an important axis for resource partitioning. Here, we test for evidence of seasonal differences in activity within a diverse guild of carrion beetles (Silphidae) in a habitat preserve on the Frontenac Arch, southeastern Ontario, Canada using a large-scale survey during their active seasons (April to October). We then used generalized additive models to test for differences in seasonal abundance among eight co-occurring carrion beetle species, including five species of burying beetles (Nicrophorinae: <i>Nicrophorus </i>Fabricius, 1775) and three species from the Silphinae subfamily. Consistent with previous work, all species showed seasonal variation in abundance, with peak abundance of most species occurring between June and August. All but one species (<i>Nicrophorus sayi </i>Laporte, 1840) showed positive relationships between abundance and temperature. We find evidence consistent with seasonal partitioning of resources among <i>Nicrophorus </i>habitat generalists that could potentially reduce competition for limited carrion resources. In contrast, we find little evidence for seasonal differences in abundance among <i>Nicrophorus </i>habitat specialists, which instead may partition resources spatially. Overall, our results provide evidence consistent with an important role for seasonal resource partitioning among carrion beetle species that show higher levels of spatial (habitat) overlap within a temperate beetle guild.</p>
Data from: Roads do not increase carrion use by a vertebrate scavenging community
Wildlife-vehicle collisions introduce a considerable amount of carrion into the environment, but scavenger use of this resource has not been extensively investigated. Scavengers may use roads for reliable foraging opportunities, but might also use roads for other purposes and encounter carrion opportunistically. We examined scavenging of carrion along linear features by placing 52 rabbit carcasses in each of three treatments in forested habitat during winter (Dec 2016-Mar 2017) in South Carolina, USA: roads, power line clearings (linear feature with fewer carcasses than roads due to lack of road kill), and forest interior. We used motion-activated cameras to compare arrival times and presence of vertebrate scavengers among treatments. There was no difference in proportion of carcasses scavenged or scavenger arrival time across treatments. No species arrived at roads quicker than other treatments. Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) and coyotes (Canis latrans) scavenged equally across treatments, whereas gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) scavenged along roads and power lines, but not in forests. We suggest that scavenger use of carrion near roads at this location during winter relates to factors other than carrion availability. Because some scavengers readily consumed carrion on roads, this resource has the potential to influence the ecology of these species.
Data from: Carrion fly-derived DNA as a tool for comprehensive and cost-effective assessment of mammalian biodiversity
Large-scale monitoring schemes are essential in assessing global mammalian biodiversity, and in this framework leeches have recently been promoted as an indirect source of DNA from terrestrial mammal species. Carrion feeding flies are ubiquitous and can be expected to feed on many vertebrate carcasses. Hence, we tested whether fly-derived DNA analysis may also serve as a novel tool for mammalian diversity surveys. We screened DNA extracted from 201 carrion flies collected in tropical habitats of Côte d'Ivoire and Madagascar for mammal DNA using multiple PCR systems and retrieved DNA sequences from a diverse set of species (22 in Côte d'Ivoire, 4 in Madagascar) exploiting distinct forest strata and displaying a broad range of body sizes. Deep-sequencing of amplicons generated from pools of flies performed equally well as individual sequencing approaches. We conclude that the analysis of fly-derived DNA can be implemented in a very rapid and cost-effective manner and will give a relatively unbiased picture of local mammal diversity. Carrion flies therefore represent an extraordinary and thus far unexploited resource of mammal DNA, which will likely prove useful for future inventories of wild mammal communities.
Data from: Unearthing carrion beetles' microbiome: characterization of bacterial and fungal hindgut communities across the Silphidae
Carrion beetles (Coleoptera, Silphidae) are well known for their behaviour of exploiting vertebrate carcasses for nutrition. While species in the subfamily Silphinae feed on large carcasses and on larvae of competing scavengers, the Nicrophorinae are unique in monopolizing, burying and defending small carrion, and providing extensive biparental care. As a first step towards investigating whether microbial symbionts may aid in carcass utilization or defence, we characterized the microbial hindgut communities of six Nicrophorinae (Nicrophorus spp.) and two Silphinae species (Oiceoptoma noveboracense and Necrophila americana) by deep ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing. Across all species, bacteria in the family Xanthomonadaceae, related to Ignatzschineriao larvae, were consistently common, and several other taxa were present in lower abundance (Enterobacteriales, Burkholderiales, Bacilli, Clostridiales and Bacteroidales). Additionally, the Nicrophorinae showed high numbers of unusual Clostridiales, while the Silphinae were characterized by Flavobacteriales and Rhizobiales (Bartonella sp.). In addition to the complex community of bacterial symbionts, each species of carrion beetle harboured a diversity of ascomycetous yeasts closely related to Yarrowia lipolytica. Despite the high degree of consistency in microbial communities across the Silphidae—specifically within the Nicrophorinae—both the fungal symbiont phylogeny and distance-based bacterial community clustering showed higher congruence with sampling locality than host phylogeny. Thus, despite the possibility for vertical transmission via anal secretions, the distinct hindgut microbiota of the Silphidae appears to be shaped by frequent horizontal exchange or environmental uptake of symbionts. The microbial community profiles, together with information on host ecology and the metabolic potential of related microorganisms, allow us to propose hypotheses on putative roles of the symbionts in carcass degradation, detoxification and defence.
Data from: Carrion fly-derived DNA metabarcoding is an effective tool for mammal surveys: evidence from a known tropical mammal community
Metabarcoding of vertebrate DNA derived from carrion flies has been proposed as a promising tool for biodiversity monitoring. To evaluate its efficacy, we conducted metabarcoding surveys of carrion flies on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, which has a well-known mammal community, and compared our results against diurnal transect counts and camera-trapping. We collected 1084 flies in 29 sampling days, conducted metabarcoding with mammal-specific (16S) and vertebrate-specific (12S) primers, and sequenced amplicons on Illumina MiSeq. For taxonomic assignment, we compared BLAST with the new program PROTAX, and we found that PROTAX improved species identifications. We detected 20 mammal, four bird, and one lizard species from carrion fly metabarcoding, all but one of which are known from BCI. Fly metabarcoding detected more mammal species than concurrent transect counts (29 sampling days, 13 species) and concurrent camera-trapping (84 sampling days, 17 species), and detected 67% of the number of mammal species documented by eight years of transect counts and camera-trapping combined, although fly metabarcoding missed several abundant species. This study demonstrates that carrion fly metabarcoding is a powerful tool for mammal biodiversity surveys, and has the potential to detect a broader range of species than more commonly used methods.
FIGURES 56–59. 56 in Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas
FIGURES 56–59. 56, Distribution maps for Texas Silphidae, Nicrophorinae (part). Nicrophorus tomentosus. 57, Hanging carrion trap. 58, Biotic provinces of Texas according to Blair (1950). 59, Vegetational areas of Texas according to Hatch et al. (1990).
FIGURE 43 in Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas
FIGURE 43. Adult seasonality profile based on occurrence records for Nicrophorus tomentosus. For an explanation of occurrence record calculations, see Methods.
FIGURES 24–30 in Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas
FIGURES 24–30. Habitus of Texas Nicrophorus. 24, N. americanus; 25, N. carolinus; 26, N. marginatus; 27, N. mexicanus; 28, N. pustulatus; 29, N. orbicollis; 30, N. tomentosus. All scale bars = 10 mm.
FIGURES 18–23 in Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas
FIGURES 18–23. Habitus of Texas Silphidae. 18, Necrophila americana; 19, Necrodes surinamensis; 20, Oiceoptoma inaequale; 21, O. noveboracense; 22, O. rugulosum; 23, Thanatophilus truncatus. All scale bars = 10 mm.
FIGURES 12–17 in Identification, distribution, and adult phenology of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Texas
FIGURES 12–17. Details of Texas Silphidae. 12. Nicrophorus tomentosus, tarsal empodium bisetose; 13. Nicrophorus marginatus, yellow pubescence of posterior lobe of metepimeron, no hairs on dorsal surface of elytra; 14. Nicrophorus marginatus, pronotum. 15. Nicrophorus orbicollis, posterior lobe of metepimeron glabrous, long hairs on dorsal surface of elytra; 16. Nicrophorus pustulatus, pronotum; 17. Nicrophorus mexicanus, pronotum.
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