Carrion Ecology and Management

ISBN-13: 9783030164997 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 281 str.

Pedro P. Olea; Patricia Mateo-Tomas; Jose Antonio Sanchez-Zapata

Spis treści

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

        5.2.3 Temporal Progression of Carrion Decay

5.3 The Contribution of Organisms to the Decomposition Process

        5.3.1 Microbial Decomposers

        5.3.2 Arthropods

        5.3.3 Vertebrates

5.4   Factors Affecting Decomposition

        5.4.1 Temperature and Moisture

        5.4.2 Vegetation and Habitat

        5.4.3 Burial and Soil

        5.4.4 Submersion

5.4.5 Carcass Size

5.5   Ecological Theory Underpinning Carrion Decomposition

        5.5.1 Succession

        5.5.2 Competition

        5.5.3 Top-down Versus Bottom-Up Effects on Carrion Communities

        5.5.4 Decomposition Linkages between Ecosystems

        5.5.5 Patch Dynamics and Landscape Heterogeneity

5.6 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

5.6.1 Molecular Tools and the Microbial Frontier

        5.6.2 Community Interactions

5.6.3 Decomposition and Global Change

References

 

Chapter 6 Ecological Functions of Vertebrate Scavenging

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Nutrient Recycling

6.2.1 Food Web Complexity

                        6.2.2 Scavenging and Food Web Stability

6.2.3 Scavenging Alters the Trophic Distribution of Carrion-Derived Nutrients

                        6.2.4 Transportation of Carrion within and between Ecosystems

                        6.2.5 Aquatic vs. Terrestrial Systems

6.3 Biodiversity Maintenance

        6.3.1 Obligate and Facultative Scavengers

                   6.3.2 Marine and Terrestrial Examples of Biodiversity

     6.4 Disease Control

     6.5 Case Studies from Well-Studied Systems

6.5.1 Midwestern USA – Local Scavenger Guild Diversity and its Effect on Carrion Removal

6.5.2 Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland – Influence of Carrion Attributes on Scavenger Community Composition and Ecosystem Function

6.5.3 Yellowstone National Park, USA – Effect of Large Predators on Scavenger Communities through Provisioning of Carrion

6.6. Impact of Human Activities on Carcass Availability

6.6. Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

 

Part 2 Human and Carrion: The Impact of Humans on Carrion Ecology and Management.

 

Chapter 7 Scavenging and Disease Dynamics

7.1 Introduction

7.2 The Use of Animal Remains and the Exposure of Scavengers to Disease

7.3 The Relevance of Scavenging for Pathogens to Spread and Persist

7.4 Human Related Factors Resulting in Increased Risk for Disease Transmission through Scavenging

7.5 Management of the Scavenging to Reduce Disease Risks

       7.5.1 Restoration of Large Predators

       7.5.2 The Elimination of Hunting of Scavengers

7.5.3 The Destruction of Big Game Carcasses and Domestic Animal Carcasses

       7.5.4 Restoration of the Effects of Overabundance

7.5.5 Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Natural Carrions

7.5.6 Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Vulture Restaurants

7.6 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

 

     Chapter 8 Human-Mediated Carrion: Effects on Ecological Processes

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Types of Human-Mediated Carrion

        8.2.1 Livestock

        8.2.2 Hunting

        8.2.3 Fisheries

        8.2.4 Rubbish Dumps

        8.2.5 Supplementary Feeding Programs

        8.2.6 Others

8.3 Spatiotemporal Availability of Human-Mediated Carrion

8.4 Effects on Feeding Patterns and Viability of Scavenger Populations

   8.4.1 Exploitation by Vertebrate Scavengers

8.4.2 Effects of Human-Subsidized Carrion on Scavenger Activity and Behavior

        8.4.3 Population Prospects

8.5 Key Changes in Ecological Processes at Different Scales

8.6 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

Chapter 9 What Makes Carrion Unsafe for Scavengers? Considerations for Appropriate Regulatory Policies and Sound Management Practices

9.1     Introduction

9.2     Widespread Contamination of Carrion with NSAIDs (and other Veterinary Agents) and Ecosystem-Level Effects in Asia - with Perspectives from Africa, North America and Europe

9.3     The Role of Human-Predator Conflict in the Illicit Use of Carrion-Based Poison Baits in Africa and Europe

9.3.1    Africa

9.3.2    Europe

9.4     Legal Use of Insecticides and Rodenticides Contaminates Carrion and Secondarily Poisons Scavengers

9.5     Contamination from Lead Ammunition in Hunter-Killed Carrion and its Effects on Scavengers and Ecosystems

9.6     Strengths and Limitations of Regulatory Policies and Voluntary Programs Enacted to Improve Carrion Quality and Facilitate the Implementation of Sound Management Practices

9.7     Regulatory Policy Affects the Quantity of Food Available for Scavengers

9.8     Improving Carrion Quantity and Quality through Feeding Stations

9.9     Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

.

Part 3 Methodological Approaches: Description of some Methods Used to Study Carrion Ecology

 

Chapter 10 Methods for Monitoring Carrion Decomposition in Aquatic Environs

        10.1 Introduction

10.2 Freshwater

        10.3 Marine

        10.4 Conclusions and Future Perspective

References

           

Chapter 11 Studying Movement of Avian Scavengers to Understand Carrion Ecology

                        11.1 Introduction

11.2 Trapping Vultures

                        11.3 Tagging and Tracking Vultures

                        11.4 How Carrion Affect Foraging Movement of Vultures?

11.5 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

References

                       

Chapter 12 Synthesis

12.1. Main Conclusions

12.2. What’s Next?

12.2.1 Scavenging in the Anthropocene

References

O autorze

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.

Blurb

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.