Carrion Reduction by Animals in Contrasting Tropical Habitats

Abstract

Decomposition of lizard (Iguana iguana, Ctenosaura similis) and toad (Bufo marinus) carrion open to arthropods was studied in a tropical dry and a tropical wet forest in Costa Rica. Carcass fates, feeding interactions of necrophagous animals and their predators, temporal succession patterns, and species compositions differed between sites. More than 170 species representing 49 families were associated with the carrion baits; calliphorid and sarcophagid larvae and adults and adult Formicidae and Scarabaeidae were most important in reducing carcasses to the dry skin stage. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to nutrient cycles and the decomposition submodel of a tropical forest ecosystem.

Estrutura de comunidades necrófagas: efeito da partilha de recursos na diversidade

“…Esta distribuição aleatória pode também ser vista como uma demonstração que não ocorre especialização relacionada ao tamanho da carcaça e que a sobreposição deve realmente ser grande. De fato, estudos precedentes (CORNABY 1974, BEAVER 1977, KUUSELA & HANSKI 1982, BLACKITH & BLACKITH 1990, KENTNER & STREIT 1990 apresentaram o mesmo padrão, com uma sobreposição grande entre as espécies na utilização do recurso e colonização aleatória das carcaças, embora nestes estudos não houve uma comparação direta com uma distribuição aleatória. Além disso, mesmo em trabalhos que consideram a partilha de recursos como um importante fator para a estruturação da comunidade, assim como o relatado por KNEIDEL (1984), a sobreposição entre as espécies estudadas é alta.…”

Microbial decomposition of skeletal muscle tissue (Ovis aries) in a sandy loam soil at different temperatures

“…Payne, 1965;Kocárek, 2003) and vertebrate scavengers (e.g. Cornaby, 1974;Haglund, 1997) that participate in the decomposition of cadavers on the soil surface. As a result very little is understood about the microbially mediated decomposition processes that take place following the burial, in contrast to surface deposition, of a high quality nutrient patch such as a cadaver.…”

Foraging on some nonfloral resources by stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) in a caatinga region

“…Other necrophagous taxa are T. necrophaga from Panama and Costa Rica and T. crassipes from Amazon are (Roubik, 1982;Gilliam et al, 1985;Roubik et al, 1995). Furthermore, facultative necrophagy can characterize more species, as reported by Cornaby (1974) who observed a dead lizard being foraged by seven species of stingless bees of a large arthropod taxa. These carrion feeders can find dead animals quickly, especially during the dry season (Cornaby, 1974;Crewe, 1985).…”

“…Furthermore, facultative necrophagy can characterize more species, as reported by Cornaby (1974) who observed a dead lizard being foraged by seven species of stingless bees of a large arthropod taxa. These carrion feeders can find dead animals quickly, especially during the dry season (Cornaby, 1974;Crewe, 1985).…”