Global change influences scavenging and carrion decomposition

Savannah L Bartel; Torrey Stephenson; David W Crowder; Menna E Jones; Andrew Storfer; Michael S Strickland; Laurel Lynch

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.008

Global change influences scavenging and carrion decomposition

Trends Ecol Evol. 2024 Feb;39(2):152-164. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.008. Epub 2023 Oct 9.

Authors

Savannah L Bartel¹, Torrey Stephenson², David W Crowder³, Menna E Jones⁴, Andrew Storfer⁵, Michael S Strickland², Laurel Lynch²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Entomology, Washington State University, 166 FSHN, 100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 301 Abelson Hall, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, USA.
³ Department of Entomology, Washington State University, 166 FSHN, 100 Dairy Road, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
⁴ School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Life Sciences Building, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
⁵ School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 301 Abelson Hall, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.

PMID: 37816662
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.008

Abstract

Carrion decomposition is fundamental to nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems because it provides a high-quality resource to diverse organisms. A conceptual framework incorporating all phases of carrion decomposition with the full community of scavengers is needed to predict the effects of global change on core ecosystem processes. Because global change can differentially impact scavenger guilds and rates of carrion decomposition, our framework explicitly incorporates complex interactions among microbial, invertebrate, and vertebrate scavenger communities across three distinct phases of carcass decomposition. We hypothesize that carrion decomposition rates will be the most impacted when global change affects carcass discovery rates and the foraging behavior of competing scavenger guilds.

Keywords: Anthropocene; carcass; climate change; decomposer; novelty; scavenger.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem*
Fishes
Vertebrates*