Psychology, Department of
Ecological Functions of Vertebrate Scavenging
Document Type Article
P. P. Olea et al. (eds.), Carrion Ecology and Management, Wildlife Research Monographs 2, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16501-7_6
Abstract
Contents
Introduction 126
Nutrient Recycling 127
Food Web Complexity 127
Scavenging and Food Web Stability 128
Scavenging Alters the Trophic Distribution of Carrion-Derived Nutrients 129
Transportation of Carrion Within and Between Ecosystems 130
Aquatic vs. Terrestrial Systems 132
Biodiversity Maintenance 133
Obligate and Facultative Scavengers 133
Marine and Terrestrial Examples of Biodiversity 135
Disease Control 139 Case Studies from Well-Studied Systems 140
Midwestern USA: Local Scavenger Guild Diversity and Its Effect on Carrion Removal 140
Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland: Influence of Carrion Attributes on Scavenger Community Composition and Ecosystem Function 143
Yellowstone National Park: Effect of Large Predators on Scavenger Communities Through Provisioning of Carrion 146
Impact of Human Activities on Carcass Availability 148
Conclusions and Future Perspectives 149
References 150