Responses of necrophilous beetles to animal mass mortality in the Australian Alps
- Stone, Rebecca, Bonat, Stefanie, Newsome, Thomas, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Stone, Rebecca , Bonat, Stefanie , Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 27, no. 6 (2023), p. 865-877
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A diversity of insects can be found at the remains of dead animals (carrion) and they play a vital role in its decomposition and recycling. An emerging global problem with carrion is animal mass mortality events – the sudden, rapid die-off of many animals resulting in a large increase to the localised carrion resource pool. Yet, little is known about how insects respond to sudden and large inputs of carrion. We conducted an experiment in a mountainous alpine region of south-eastern Australia and compared beetle assemblages found at single carcass and mass mortality sites. We also examined the effects of vertebrate exclusion, and decomposition stage on beetles. We found 4,774 beetles representing 146 different species/morphospecies from 17 families. The most abundant species was Saprinus cyaneus cyaneus (Histeridae), and species of Staphylinidae and Silphidae also dominated the fauna, which is typical for necrophilous beetles in Australia. We also found a clear temporal change in beetle assemblages, with abundance and richness peaking during the active decay stage. We found that beetle abundance was greater at single carcasses than mass mortality sites, possibly as an artifact of sampling, and that species richness was similar among these two carcass treatment types. We found no significant effect of vertebrate exclusion on beetles, suggesting that large scavengers in the study system may not influence necrophilous insect communities around carrion. Implications for insect conservation: Our study highlights the diversity of beetles that can be found at carrion and their similar composition to the fauna found in other areas in the south-east of the Australian continent. Beetles may have reduced abundance at mass mortality sites which could affect their ability to contribute to carrion removal relative to smaller carrion quantities. Further research is required to quantify the role of other insects in carrion removal under a range of natural and mass mortality scenarios. © 2023, The Author(s).
- Authors: Stone, Rebecca , Bonat, Stefanie , Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 27, no. 6 (2023), p. 865-877
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A diversity of insects can be found at the remains of dead animals (carrion) and they play a vital role in its decomposition and recycling. An emerging global problem with carrion is animal mass mortality events – the sudden, rapid die-off of many animals resulting in a large increase to the localised carrion resource pool. Yet, little is known about how insects respond to sudden and large inputs of carrion. We conducted an experiment in a mountainous alpine region of south-eastern Australia and compared beetle assemblages found at single carcass and mass mortality sites. We also examined the effects of vertebrate exclusion, and decomposition stage on beetles. We found 4,774 beetles representing 146 different species/morphospecies from 17 families. The most abundant species was Saprinus cyaneus cyaneus (Histeridae), and species of Staphylinidae and Silphidae also dominated the fauna, which is typical for necrophilous beetles in Australia. We also found a clear temporal change in beetle assemblages, with abundance and richness peaking during the active decay stage. We found that beetle abundance was greater at single carcasses than mass mortality sites, possibly as an artifact of sampling, and that species richness was similar among these two carcass treatment types. We found no significant effect of vertebrate exclusion on beetles, suggesting that large scavengers in the study system may not influence necrophilous insect communities around carrion. Implications for insect conservation: Our study highlights the diversity of beetles that can be found at carrion and their similar composition to the fauna found in other areas in the south-east of the Australian continent. Beetles may have reduced abundance at mass mortality sites which could affect their ability to contribute to carrion removal relative to smaller carrion quantities. Further research is required to quantify the role of other insects in carrion removal under a range of natural and mass mortality scenarios. © 2023, The Author(s).
Insect biodiversity meets ecosystem function : differential effects of habitat and insects on carrion decomposition
- Barton, Philip, Evans, Maldwyn
- Authors: Barton, Philip , Evans, Maldwyn
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Entomology Vol. 42, no. 3 (2017), p. 364-374
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: 1. Ecological processes are maintained in different environments by different species performing similar functional roles. Yet, little is known about the role of the environment in shaping insect biodiversity associated with a process that is ephemeral and patchy. 2. In this study, the mass loss of carrion in response to contrasting habitat types (grassland or tree) was quantified experimentally, as well as the presence, diversity and composition of insect assemblages. Differences in insect assemblages between these two habitats were also examined. 3. It was found that the presence of insects led to a doubling in mass loss, but that grassland or tree habitat type had no effect on this process. By contrast, habitat type had a significant effect on the composition of generalist ant and beetle assemblages, but not on specialist fly assemblages. Given the colonisation of insects, carrion mass loss was negatively associated with increasing evenness of fly assemblages and increasing ant abundance. Variation in fly assemblage composition was also found to correlate with variation in carrion mass loss. 4. This study highlights the major role of habitat type in shaping the composition of generalist insects at carrion, but the minor role in affecting specialist and highly vagile insects. This complements the authors' findings that insect colonisation of carrion was critical to accelerated mass loss, and that fly assemblages were responsible for variation in this process, regardless of habitat. The present study sheds new light on the contribution of insect biodiversity to decomposition in variable environments, with consequences for carrion food webs and nutrient cycling. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society
- Authors: Barton, Philip , Evans, Maldwyn
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Entomology Vol. 42, no. 3 (2017), p. 364-374
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: 1. Ecological processes are maintained in different environments by different species performing similar functional roles. Yet, little is known about the role of the environment in shaping insect biodiversity associated with a process that is ephemeral and patchy. 2. In this study, the mass loss of carrion in response to contrasting habitat types (grassland or tree) was quantified experimentally, as well as the presence, diversity and composition of insect assemblages. Differences in insect assemblages between these two habitats were also examined. 3. It was found that the presence of insects led to a doubling in mass loss, but that grassland or tree habitat type had no effect on this process. By contrast, habitat type had a significant effect on the composition of generalist ant and beetle assemblages, but not on specialist fly assemblages. Given the colonisation of insects, carrion mass loss was negatively associated with increasing evenness of fly assemblages and increasing ant abundance. Variation in fly assemblage composition was also found to correlate with variation in carrion mass loss. 4. This study highlights the major role of habitat type in shaping the composition of generalist insects at carrion, but the minor role in affecting specialist and highly vagile insects. This complements the authors' findings that insect colonisation of carrion was critical to accelerated mass loss, and that fly assemblages were responsible for variation in this process, regardless of habitat. The present study sheds new light on the contribution of insect biodiversity to decomposition in variable environments, with consequences for carrion food webs and nutrient cycling. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society
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