The underestimated role of carrion in vertebrates' diet studies
Metadatos
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Wyley
Materia
Biases studies Carnivory Omnivory Predator Prey items
Fecha
2023-05Referencia bibliográfica
Sebastián-González, E., Morant, J., Moleón, M., Redondo-Gómez, D., Morales-Reyes, Z., Pascual-Rico, R., Pérez-García, J. M., & Arrondo, E. (2023). The underestimated role of carrion in vertebrates' diet studies. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–9. https://doi. org/10.1111/geb.13707
Patrocinador
Junta de Andalucia POSTDOC_21_00353 PREDOC_00262; Eusko Jaurlaritza PRE_2018_2_0112; Center for Forestry Research & Experimentation (CIEF) ACIF/2019/056 APOSTD/2019/016 APOSTD/2021/028; HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions 101086387; Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government IJC-2019-038968 PID2021-128952NB-I00 RYC-2015-19231 RYC-2019-027216-I TED2021-130890B-C21Resumen
Aim: Despite the increasing scientific evidence on the importance of carrion in the
ecology and evolution of many vertebrates, scavenging is still barely considered in
diet studies. Here, we draw attention to how scientific literature has underestimated
the role of vertebrates as scavengers, identifying the ecological traits that characterize
those species whose role as scavengers could have gone especially unnoticed.
Location: Global.
Time Period: 1938–2022.
Major Taxa Studied: Terrestrial vertebrate scavengers.
Methods: We analysed and compared (a) the largest database available on scavenging
patterns by carrion-consuming
vertebrates, (b) 908 diet studies about 156 scavenger
species and (c) one of the most complete databases on bird and mammal diets (Elton
Traits database). For each of these 156 species, we calculated their scavenging degree
(i.e. proportion of carcases where the species is detected consuming carrion) as a
proxy for carrion consumption, and related their ecological traits with the probability
of being identified as scavengers in diet studies and in the Elton Traits database.
Results: More than half of the species identified as scavengers at monitored carcasses
were not assigned carrion as food source in their diet studies nor in the Elton Traits
database. Using a subset of study sites, we found a direct relationship between a species'
scavenging degree and its rate of carrion biomass removal. In addition, scavenger
species, which were classified as non-predators
and mammals had a lower probability
of being identified as scavengers in diet studies and in the Elton Traits database,
respectively.
Main Conclusions: Our results clearly indicate an underestimation of the role of scavenging
in vertebrate food webs. Given that detritus recycling is fundamental to ecosystem
functioning, we encourage further recognition and investigation of the role
of carrion as a food resource for vertebrates, especially for non-predator
species and
mammals with higher scavenging degree.