IF 2.3 2区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
Matthew W Fielding, Luke A Yates, Jessie C Buettel, Dejan Stojanovic, Barry W Brook
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引用次数: 0

摘要

腐肉的分解对生态系统的功能和营养循环至关重要,许多物种都在利用这种优质资源。然而,不同环境中腐肉的可用性和可靠性各不相同。农场和道路等经过改造的地貌通常会产生高密度的腐尸,这对于能够容忍人类存在或被人类存在所吸引的通食中观鸟类来说,具有不成比例的益处。在这项研究中,我们在澳大利亚南部的两座大岛上战略性地放置了腐尸,并使用相机陷阱调查了不同食腐动物如何在森林、农田和路边栖息地寻找和利用腐尸。森林乌鸦是一种鸟类通食动物,在所有三种栖息地类型中都是主要的食腐动物,但在改良地貌中发现尸体的几率要高出三倍。猛禽在农田栖息地发现和利用尸体的几率是其他鸟类的两倍,这表明这些地区的食腐机会增加了。野猫对尸体的发现率和利用率在不同生境类型之间没有差异。在这种情况下,昼行食腐动物和夜行食腐动物对腐肉利用的差异可能是由于没有顶级哺乳类食肉动物(塔斯马尼亚魔鬼和疣鼻天鹅)。昼行食腐动物,如森林乌鸦和猛禽,遵循预期的栖息地偏好,尽管由于持久性增加而更容易获得腐肉。然而,野猫在不同的栖息地并没有表现出对腐肉的偏好,这可能是由于恐惧景观的减少。总之,我们的研究强调了本地哺乳类食肉动物在清道夫群落结构中的重要作用,并进一步验证了营养型野化对恢复关键生态功能的价值。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
Carcass use by mesoscavengers varied across modified landscapes in the absence of top carnivores.

The decomposition of carrion is crucial to the functioning and nutrient cycling of ecosystems, and many species use this high-quality resource. However, the availability and reliability of carrion differs across environments. Modified landscapes, such as farms and roads, often produce a high density of carcasses, with disproportionate benefits for generalist mesoscavengers that can tolerate, or are attracted to, human presence. In this study, we placed carcasses strategically across two large islands in southern Australia and used camera traps to investigate how different scavengers locate and use carrion in forested, farmland and roadside habitats. Forest ravens, an avian generalist, were the dominant scavengers across all three habitat types but were three times more likely to discover carcasses deployed in modified landscapes. Raptors were twice as likely to discover and use carcasses in farmland habitats, indicating enhanced scavenging opportunities in these areas. The discovery rate and use of carcasses by feral cats did not differ between habitat types. In this setting, differences in carrion use between diurnal and nocturnal scavengers are potentially due to the absence of top mammalian carnivores (Tasmanian devils and quolls). Diurnal scavengers, such as forest ravens and raptors, followed expected habitat preferences, albeit with greater access to carrion due to increased persistence. However, feral cats demonstrated no preference for carcasses across habitats, likely due to the reduced landscape of fear. Overall, our study underscores the important role of native mammalian carnivores in structuring scavenger communities and further validates the value of trophic rewilding to restore key ecological functions.

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来源期刊
Oecologia
Oecologia 环境科学-生态学
CiteScore
5.10
自引率
0.00%
发文量
192
审稿时长
5.3 months
期刊介绍: Oecologia publishes innovative ecological research of international interest. We seek reviews, advances in methodology, and original contributions, emphasizing the following areas: Population ecology, Plant-microbe-animal interactions, Ecosystem ecology, Community ecology, Global change ecology, Conservation ecology, Behavioral ecology and Physiological Ecology. In general, studies that are purely descriptive, mathematical, documentary, and/or natural history will not be considered.
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