Dominant carnivore loss benefits native avian and invasive mammalian scavengers.

ABSTRACT: 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 othe

SUBMITTER: Fielding MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9597402 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature