Carrion Ecology and Management

Carrion, or dead animal matter, is an inherent component of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, and is exploited by a wide diversity of organisms from different trophic levels, including microbes, arthropods and vertebrates. Further, carrion consumption by scavengers, i.e. scavenging, supports key ecosystem functions and services such as recycling nutrients and energy, disposing of carcasses and regulating disease spread. Yet, unlike dead plant matter, dead animal decomposition has received little attention in the fields of ecology, wildlife conservation and environmental management, and as a result the management of carrion for maintaining biodiversity and functional ecosystems has been limited.

This book addresses the main ecological patterns and processes relating to the generation and consumption of carrion both in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It also discusses a number of conservation concerns and associated management issues, particularly regarding the increasing role of human-mediated carrion in ecosystems. Lastly, the book outlines future research lines in carrion ecology and management, and identifies the major challenges for scavengers and scavenging processes in the Anthropocene.

Autorentext

Pedro P. Olea is a Professor and researcher at the Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. His research focuses on understanding how global human activities, such as hunting, and livestock and crop farming, affect patterns and processes in species, communities and ecosystems at different spatial scales, and how to apply this knowledge in their management and conservation. His research findings have been published in the major ecology and conservation journals.

Patricia Mateo-Tomás is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre of Functional Ecology (CFE) at the University of Coimbra, Portugal and the Oviedo University, Spain. Her work focuses on the ecology and conservation of scavengers, especially vultures but also other facultative vertebrate scavengers, and their relationships with human activities, such as hunting and livestock rearing (including transhumance) that have developed in natural ecosystems. She is particularly committed to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and wildlife management and conservation through close collaboration with private and public stakeholders. José A. Sánchez Zapata is a Professor of Ecology at the Department of Applied Biology, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Orihuela, Spain. His research initially focused on the ecology and conservation of raptors, but during the last decade he has broadened the topics to include the role of scavenger guilds in ecosystem functioning and services under a socio-ecological framework. He has pursued research in Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe and has published papers in international ecology and conservation journals.

Inhalt
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Topic of Carrion Ecology and Management 1.1 Carrion Ecology: Key Concepts and State of the Art

1.2 What Is in This Book

1.3 Literature Review

1.4 Book Organization References

Part 1 Carrion ecology*: Description of the Main Ecological Patterns and Processes Occurring around a Carrion.*

Chapter 2 Carrion Availability in Space and Time

2.1 Causes of Carrion Production

2.3 Carrion Production

2.3.1 Overall

2.3.2 Per Mortality Cause

2.3.3 Carrion Production in Relation to Species and Individuals

2.4 Factors Modulating Carrion Availability and Quality

2.5 Spatial Variation in Carrion Availability

2.5.1 Terrestrial Ecosystems

2.5.2 Aquatic Ecosystems

2.6 Temporal Variation in Carrion Availability

2.6.1 Terrestrial Ecosystems

2.6.2 Aquatic Ecosystems

2.7 Carrion Exchange at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Interface

2.8 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

Chapter 3 Invertebrate scavenging communities

3.1 Terrestrial Colonization

3.1.1 Diptera

3.1.2 Coleoptera 3.1.3 Other Invertebrates

3.2 Aquatic Colonization

3.2.1 Freshwater Invertebrate Colonization of Carrion

3.2.2 Marine Invertebrate Colonization of Carrion

3.3 Factors that Impact Invertebrate Colonization of Carrion 3.3.1 Carrion in terrestrial environs

3.3.2 Carrion in aquatic environs

3.4 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

Chapter 4 Vertebrate Scavenging Communities

4.1 Facultative Versus Obligate Scavengers

4.2 Morphological, Physiological and Behavioral Adaptations to Scavenging

4.2.1 Terrestrial Scavengers

4.2.2 Aquatic Scavengers

4.3 Scavengers across the World

4.3.1 Tundra and Polar Regions

4.3.2 Temperate and Boreal Forests

4.3.3 Mediterranean Regions

4.3.4 Savannas

4.3.5 Steppes

4.3.6 Tropical forests

4.3.7 Agricultural and Other Human-Modified Landscapes

4.3.8 Deserts

4.3.9 Coastal Systems

4.3.10 Marine Systems

4.3.11 Freshwater Systems

4.4 Structure of Scavenger Communities

4.5 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

Chapter 5 Carrion Decomposition

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Carrion Decomposition 5.2.1 Animal Carrion as a Distinct Resource

5.2.2 The Decomposition Process &l...