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Diversity
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Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface
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Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2020) | Viewed by 43800

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marcos Moleón

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Guest Editor
Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: carrion ecology; predator ecology and conservation; megafauna

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue of Diversity entitled “Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface”.

Predation and scavenging are pervasive interspecific interactions in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. The ecology, evolution, and conservation of predators and scavengers have received wide scientific attention and public awareness. However, the close connection that exists between predation and scavenging has not been emphasized until very recently. The recognition that carnivorous animals may obtain meat by either hunting prey or scavenging their carcasses has profound implications from individual behavior to population, community, and ecosystem levels, most of which remain unexplored.

Some relevant, largely unresolved questions include: What is the proportion of predated versus scavenged prey in the diet of predators and scavengers? Which are the factors that make some individual predators more prone to scavenge, and some individual scavengers more prone to hunt? To which extent do predators and scavengers compete for shared resources? Can predators benefit scavengers and vice versa? How may these interactions between predators and scavengers indirectly affect prey populations? What is the role of carcasses as information centers and predation- and parasite-risk sites for scavengers, predators, and their prey? How may the interaction between predation and scavenging challenge established principles in food web and community structure and functioning? Are there new methodological tools to help advancing our understanding of the interface between predation and scavenging?

This Special Issue is an exciting opportunity to deal with these and other questions and definitely dismiss the traditional view that predation and scavenging are disconnected ecological processes. Please note that studies on predation only or scavenging only are not within the scope of this Special Issue, unless the connection between predation and scavenging is made explicit.

Diversity’s team and I kindly invite you to submit a manuscript focused on these topics. If you are interested in this opportunity or have any question, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Dr. Marcos Moleón
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Carrion
  • Predation
  • Scavenging
  • Interspecific interactions
  • Indirect effects
  • Vultures
  • Carnivores

 

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 188 KiB  
Editorial
Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface: A Special Issue
by Marcos Moleón
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020095 - 22 Feb 2021
Viewed by 2069
Abstract
Predation and scavenging are pervasive ecological interactions in both terrestrial and aquatic environments [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)

Research

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16 pages, 557 KiB  
Article
Individual Variation in Predatory Behavior, Scavenging and Seasonal Prey Availability as Potential Drivers of Coexistence between Wolves and Bears
by Andrés Ordiz, Cyril Milleret, Antonio Uzal, Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Camilla Wikenros, Håkan Sand, Jon E Swenson and Jonas Kindberg
Diversity 2020, 12(9), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090356 - 15 Sep 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 8018
Abstract
Several large carnivore populations are recovering former ranges, and it is important to understand interspecific interactions between overlapping species. In Scandinavia, recent research has reported that brown bear presence influences gray wolf habitat selection and kill rates. Here, we characterized the temporal use [...] Read more.
Several large carnivore populations are recovering former ranges, and it is important to understand interspecific interactions between overlapping species. In Scandinavia, recent research has reported that brown bear presence influences gray wolf habitat selection and kill rates. Here, we characterized the temporal use of a common prey resource by sympatric wolves and bears and described individual and seasonal variation in their direct and/or indirect interactions. Most bear–wolf interactions were indirect, via bear scavenging of wolf kills. Bears used >50% of wolf kills, whereas we did not record any wolf visit at bear kills. Adult and subadult bears visited wolf kills, but female bears with cubs of the year, the most vulnerable age class to conspecifics and other predators, did not. Wolf and bear kill rates peaked in early summer, when both targeted neonate moose calves, which coincided with a reduction in bear scavenging rate. Some bears were highly predatory and some did not kill any calf. Individual and age-class variation (in bear predation and scavenging patterns) and seasonality (in bear scavenging patterns and main prey availability of both wolves and bears) could mediate coexistence of these apex predators. Similar processes likely occur in other ecosystems with varying carnivore assemblages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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14 pages, 1814 KiB  
Article
Lack of Cascading Effects of Eurasian Lynx Predation on Roe Deer to Soil and Plant Nutrients
by Ivonne J. M. Teurlings, Claudia Melis, Christina Skarpe and John D. C. Linnell
Diversity 2020, 12(9), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090352 - 14 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3746
Abstract
This study examines the extent to which above-ground trophic processes such as large carnivore predation on wild ungulates can cause cascading effects through the provision of carrion resources to below-ground ecosystem processes in the boreal forest of southeastern Norway. We measured the levels [...] Read more.
This study examines the extent to which above-ground trophic processes such as large carnivore predation on wild ungulates can cause cascading effects through the provision of carrion resources to below-ground ecosystem processes in the boreal forest of southeastern Norway. We measured the levels of 10 parameters in soil samples and 7 parameters in vegetation (wavy hair-grass, Avenella flexuosa, and bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus) at 0, 0.5 and 2 m distance from 18 roe deer (Capreolus caprelous) carcasses killed by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). We then compared these values to two control sites 20 m away from each carcass. Sampling was conducted 20–29 months after death. Neither soil nor vegetation samples showed a clear gradient in parameters (CN, NH4+, NO3−, P, PO4−, Ca, K, Mg and Na) from the center of a carcass towards the periphery. Similarly, there was no difference in the effect on soil and vegetation between winter- and summer-killed carcasses. Our results contrast with that of other studies that simulate the effect of predation with whole carcasses and which often exclude scavengers through fencing. The lack of detectable effects after about two years is likely due to the small size of roe deer carcasses and the fact that most tissues are consumed by the predator and scavengers before decomposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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9 pages, 637 KiB  
Article
Caching Behavior of Large Prey by Eurasian Lynx: Quantifying the Anti-Scavenging Benefits
by Ivonne J. M. Teurlings, John Odden, John D. C. Linnell and Claudia Melis
Diversity 2020, 12(9), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12090350 - 13 Sep 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4618
Abstract
Large solitary felids often kill large prey items that can provide multiple meals. However, being able to utilize these multiple meals requires that they can cache the meat in a manner that delays its discovery by vertebrate and invertebrate scavengers. Covering the kill [...] Read more.
Large solitary felids often kill large prey items that can provide multiple meals. However, being able to utilize these multiple meals requires that they can cache the meat in a manner that delays its discovery by vertebrate and invertebrate scavengers. Covering the kill with vegetation and snow is a commonly observed strategy among felids. This study investigates the utility of this strategy using observational data from Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)-killed roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) carcasses, and a set of two experiments focused on vertebrate and invertebrate scavengers, respectively. Lynx-killed roe deer that were covered by snow or vegetation were less likely to have been visited by scavengers. Experimentally-deployed video-monitored roe deer carcasses had significantly longer time prior to discovery by avian scavengers when covered with vegetation. Carcass parts placed in cages that excluded vertebrate scavengers had delayed invertebrate activity when covered with vegetation. All three datasets indicated that covering a kill was a successful caching/anti-scavenger strategy. These results can help explain why lynx functional responses reach plateaus at relatively low kill rates. The success of this anti-scavenging behavior therefore has clear effects on the dynamics of a predator–prey system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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Review

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16 pages, 6922 KiB  
Review
Predation and Scavenging in the City: A Review of Spatio-Temporal Trends in Research
by Álvaro Luna, Pedro Romero-Vidal and Eneko Arrondo
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020046 - 25 Jan 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6663
Abstract
Many researchers highlight the role of urban ecology in a rapidly urbanizing world. Despite the ecological and conservation implications relating to carnivores in cities, our general understanding of their potential role in urban food webs lacks synthesis. In this paper, we reviewed the [...] Read more.
Many researchers highlight the role of urban ecology in a rapidly urbanizing world. Despite the ecological and conservation implications relating to carnivores in cities, our general understanding of their potential role in urban food webs lacks synthesis. In this paper, we reviewed the scientific literature on urban carnivores with the aim of identifying major biases in this topic of research. In particular, we explored the number of articles dealing with predation and scavenging, and assessed the geographical distribution, biomes and habitats represented in the scientific literature, together with the richness of species reported and their traits. Our results confirmed that scavenging is largely overlooked compared to predation in urban carnivore research. Moreover, research was biased towards cities located in temperate biomes, while tropical regions were less well-represented, a pattern that was more evident in the case of articles on scavenging. The species reported in both predation and scavenging articles were mainly wild and domestic mammals with high meat-based diets and nocturnal habits, and the majority of the studies were conducted in the interior zone of cities compared to peri-urban areas. Understanding the trophic role of carnivores in urban environments and its ecological consequences will require full recognition of both their predation and scavenging facets, which is especially desirable given the urban sprawl that has been predicted in the coming decades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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14 pages, 1988 KiB  
Review
The Role of Carrion in the Landscapes of Fear and Disgust: A Review and Prospects
by Marcos Moleón and José A. Sánchez-Zapata
Diversity 2021, 13(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13010028 - 13 Jan 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4575
Abstract
Animal behavior is greatly shaped by the ‘landscape of fear’, induced by predation risk, and the equivalent ‘landscape of disgust’, induced by parasitism or infection risk. However, the role that carrion may play in these landscapes of peril has been largely overlooked. Here, [...] Read more.
Animal behavior is greatly shaped by the ‘landscape of fear’, induced by predation risk, and the equivalent ‘landscape of disgust’, induced by parasitism or infection risk. However, the role that carrion may play in these landscapes of peril has been largely overlooked. Here, we aim to emphasize that animal carcasses likely represent ubiquitous hotspots for both predation and infection risk, thus being an outstanding paradigm of how predation and parasitism pressures can concur in space and time. By conducting a literature review, we highlight the manifold inter- and intra-specific interactions linked to carrion via predation and parasitism risks, which may affect not only scavengers, but also non-scavengers. However, we identified major knowledge gaps, as reviewed articles were highly biased towards fear, terrestrial environments, vertebrates, and behavioral responses. Based on the reviewed literature, we provide a conceptual framework on the main fear- and disgust-based interaction pathways associated with carrion resources. This framework may be used to formulate predictions about how the landscape of fear and disgust around carcasses might influence animals’ individual behavior and ecological processes, from population to ecosystem functioning. We encourage ecologists, evolutionary biologists, epidemiologists, forensic scientists, and conservation biologists to explore the promising research avenues associated with the scary and disgusting facets of carrion. Acknowledging the multiple trophic and non-trophic interactions among dead and live animals, including both herbivores and carnivores, will notably improve our understanding of the overlapping pressures that shape the landscape of fear and disgust. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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14 pages, 1779 KiB  
Review
Visual Adaptations in Predatory and Scavenging Diurnal Raptors
by Simon Potier
Diversity 2020, 12(10), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12100400 - 15 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 13382
Abstract
Ecological diversity among diurnal birds of prey, or raptors, is highlighted regarding their sensory abilities. While raptors are believed to forage primarily using sight, the sensory demands of scavengers and predators differ, as reflected in their visual systems. Here, I have reviewed the [...] Read more.
Ecological diversity among diurnal birds of prey, or raptors, is highlighted regarding their sensory abilities. While raptors are believed to forage primarily using sight, the sensory demands of scavengers and predators differ, as reflected in their visual systems. Here, I have reviewed the visual specialisations of predatory and scavenging diurnal raptors, focusing on (1) the anatomy of the eye and (2) the use of vision in foraging. Predators have larger eyes than scavengers relative to their body mass, potentially highlighting the higher importance of vision in these species. Scavengers possess one centrally positioned fovea that allows for the detection of carrion at a distance. In addition to the central fovea, predators have a second, temporally positioned fovea that views the frontal visual field, possibly for prey capture. Spatial resolution does not differ between predators and scavengers. In contrast, the organisation of the visual fields reflects important divergences, with enhanced binocularity in predators opposed to an enlarged field of view in scavengers. Predators also have a larger blind spot above the head. The diversity of visual system specializations according to the foraging ecology displayed by these birds suggests a complex interplay between visual anatomy and ecology, often unrelatedly of phylogeny. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology of Predation and Scavenging and the Interface)
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