Factors influencing scavenger guilds and scavenging efficiency in Southwestern Montana

Walker, Morgan A.; Uribasterra, Maria; Asher, Valpa; Getz, Wayne M.; Ryan, Sadie J.; Ponciano, José Miguel; Blackburn, Jason K.

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-83426-3

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(65 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Remote cameras increasingly help researchers document wildlife behavior (Burton et al 2015), and many scavenger studies rely on carrion for bait (Jachowski et al 2015, Watson et al 2019, Woodford et al 2020, Walker et al 2021). Bait is often sourced opportunistically, including from natural deaths (Walker et al 2021), culling (McTee et al 2019, Woodford et al 2020), and road‐killed animals (Jachowski et al 2015, Watson et al 2019). The carcasses can then be placed in strategic locations within a study area.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The scavenger spyglass: how recruiting hunters to watch carrion boosts wildlife research

McTee¹,

Stone²

2022

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hunters support scavengers with seasonal pulses of carrion. If those hunters also deploy remote cameras at kill sites, they could simultaneously contribute data to wildlife research while gaining first-hand knowledge of scavenger ecology. In 2018-2020, we recruited hunters to monitor carcasses and offal with remote cameras across western Montana, USA. We increased our sampling effort by also setting up cameras following successful elk (Cervus canadensis) hunts at a private ranch. Cameras recorded 19 scavenger species. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) appeared at 55% of sites, and 3 individuals wore auxiliary markers, demonstrating how hunters can augment efforts to detect tagged wildlife. Cameras also documented elusive predators (e.g., wolves [Canis lupus]) and a seasonality of scavenging among American black bears (Ursus americanus). At 42% of the sites, ≥1 cervid investigated the carrion within 1 m, a behavior that may transmit the prions associated with chronic wasting disease. Hunters are willing and competent citizen scientists that can help generate wildlife observations at a broad spatial scale.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The scavenger spyglass: how recruiting hunters to watch carrion boosts wildlife research

McTee¹,

Stone²

2022

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…What are the biotic and abiotic drivers of fruit colour syndrome? Walker et al 2021 What factors influence scavenger guilds and scavenging efficacy in Southwestern Montana? Teixeira et al 2021. How did past environmental changes (prior to human impact) effect lemur population dyn Hosted file image1.emf available at https://authorea.com/users/381917/articles/555837-model-selectionisn-t-causal-inference…”

Section: Papermentioning

confidence: 99%

Model selection isn't causal inference

Arif

MacNeil

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecologists often rely on observational data to understand causal relationships. Although observational causal inference methodologies exist, model selection based on information criterion (e.g., AIC) remains a common approach used to understand ecological relationships. However, such approaches are meant for predictive inference and is not appropriate for drawing causal conclusions. Here, we highlight the distinction between predictive and causal inference and show how model selection techniques can lead to biased causal estimates. Instead, we encourage ecologists to apply the backdoor criterion, a graphical rule that can be used to determine causal relationships across observational studies.

show abstract

“…Scavenging is ubiquitous among mammalian and avian carnivores, with most species scavenging to some degree [1][2][3][4]. Larger carnivorous mammals are highly efficient scavengers, consuming carcasses faster than most other taxa [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominant carnivore loss benefits native avian and invasive mammalian scavengers

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Scavenging by large carnivores is integral for ecosystem functioning by limiting the build-up of carrion and facilitating widespread energy flows. However, top carnivores have declined across the world, triggering trophic shifts within ecosystems. Here, we compare findings from previous work on predator decline against areas with recent native mammalian carnivore loss. Specifically, we investigate top-down control on utilization of experimentally placed carcasses by two mesoscavengers—the invasive feral cat and native forest raven. Ravens profited most from carnivore loss, scavenging for five times longer in the absence of native mammalian carnivores. Cats scavenged on half of all carcasses in the region without dominant native carnivores. This was eight times more than in areas where other carnivores were at high densities. All carcasses persisted longer than the three-week monitoring period in the absence of native mammalian carnivores, while in areas with high carnivore abundance, all carcasses were fully consumed. Our results reveal that top-carnivore loss amplifies impacts associated with carnivore decline—increased carcass persistence and carrion access for smaller scavengers. This suggests that even at low densities, native mammalian carnivores can fulfil their ecological functions, demonstrating the significance of global carnivore conservation and supporting management approaches, such as trophic rewilding.

show abstract

Factors influencing scavenger guilds and scavenging efficiency in Southwestern Montana

Cited by 22 publications

References 82 publications

The scavenger spyglass: how recruiting hunters to watch carrion boosts wildlife research

The scavenger spyglass: how recruiting hunters to watch carrion boosts wildlife research

Model selection isn't causal inference

Dominant carnivore loss benefits native avian and invasive mammalian scavengers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About