The Role of Carrion in the Landscapes of Fear and Disgust: A Review and Prospects
Metadatos
Afficher la notice complèteEditorial
Mdpi
Materia
Carcass Confrontational scavenging Disease risk Facultative scavenger Landscape of peril Marine ecosystems Parasite risk Predator risk Terrestrial ecosystems
Date
2021-01-13Referencia bibliográfica
Sánchez-Zapata, J.A. The Role of Carrion in the Landscapes of Fear and Disgust: A Review and Prospects. Diversity 2021, 13, 28. [https://doi.org/10.3390/d13010028]
Patrocinador
Ramón y Cajal from the MINECO RYC-2015-19231; Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness; EU ERDF funds CGL2015-66966-C2-1-2-R CGL2017-89905-RRésumé
Animal behavior is greatly shaped by the ‘landscape of fear’, induced by predation risk,
and the equivalent ‘landscape of disgust’, induced by parasitism or infection risk. However, the role
that carrion may play in these landscapes of peril has been largely overlooked. Here, we aim to
emphasize that animal carcasses likely represent ubiquitous hotspots for both predation and infection
risk, thus being an outstanding paradigm of how predation and parasitism pressures can concur
in space and time. By conducting a literature review, we highlight the manifold inter- and intraspecific
interactions linked to carrion via predation and parasitism risks, which may affect not only
scavengers, but also non-scavengers. However, we identified major knowledge gaps, as reviewed
articles were highly biased towards fear, terrestrial environments, vertebrates, and behavioral responses.
Based on the reviewed literature, we provide a conceptual framework on the main fearand
disgust-based interaction pathways associated with carrion resources. This framework may
be used to formulate predictions about how the landscape of fear and disgust around carcasses
might influence animals’ individual behavior and ecological processes, from population to ecosystem
functioning. We encourage ecologists, evolutionary biologists, epidemiologists, forensic scientists,
and conservation biologists to explore the promising research avenues associated with the scary
and disgusting facets of carrion. Acknowledging the multiple trophic and non-trophic interactions
among dead and live animals, including both herbivores and carnivores, will notably improve our
understanding of the overlapping pressures that shape the landscape of fear and disgust.