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Newsome T, Cairncross R, Cunningham CX, Spencer EE, Barton PS, Ripple WJ, Wirsing AJ. Scavenging with invasive species. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:562-581. [PMID: 38148253 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Carrion acts as a hotspot of animal activity within many ecosystems globally, attracting scavengers that rely on this food source. However, many scavengers are invasive species whose impacts on scavenging food webs and ecosystem processes linked to decomposition are poorly understood. Here, we use Australia as a case study to review the extent of scavenging by invasive species that have colonised the continent since European settlement, identify the factors that influence their use of carcasses, and highlight the lesser-known ecological effects of invasive scavengers. From 44 published studies we identified six invasive species from 48 vertebrates and four main groups of arthropods (beetles, flies, ants and wasps) that scavenge. Invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), feral pigs (Sus scrofa), black rats (Rattus rattus) and feral cats (Felis catus) were ranked as highly common vertebrate scavengers. Invasive European wasps (Vespula germanica) are also common scavengers where they occur. We found that the diversity of native vertebrate scavengers is lower when the proportion of invasive scavengers is higher. We highlight that the presence of large (apex) native vertebrate scavengers can decrease rates of scavenging by invasive species, but that invasive scavengers can monopolise carcass resources, outcompete native scavengers, predate other species around carcass resources and even facilitate invasion meltdowns that affect other species and ecological processes including altered decomposition rates and nutrient cycling. Such effects are likely to be widespread where invasive scavengers occur and suggest a need to determine whether excessive or readily available carcass loads are facilitating or exacerbating the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Newsome
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Rhys Cairncross
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Calum X Cunningham
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, College of the Environment, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195-2100, USA
| | - Emma E Spencer
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Philip S Barton
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, 3216, Australia
| | - William J Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Aaron J Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, College of the Environment, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195-2100, USA
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von Beeren C, Pohl S, Fikáček M, Kleinfelder S, Tishechkin AK, Yamamoto S, Chani‐Posse M, Żyła D, Tokareva A, Maruyama M, Hall WE, Sandoval LP, Kronauer DJC. Army ant middens - Home and nursery of a diverse beetle fauna. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10451. [PMID: 37736273 PMCID: PMC10509147 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Army ants provide nourishment to a large variety of animals. This includes birds that feed on animals flushed out by army ant raids, symbiotic arthropods that consume the ants' prey or their brood, and other arthropods that scavenge on army ant refuse deposits. The latter have not received much attention, and the few published studies lack detailed species identifications. Here we provide a first systematic inventory of the beetle fauna associated with refuse deposits of Eciton army ants, with a focus on Eciton burchellii. We collected 8364 adult beetles, 511 larvae, and 24 eggs from 34 deposits at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We used a combination of DNA barcoding and morphology to identify a subset of 436 specimens to species level. The samples included several new species, and we here formally describe two water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae). Refuse deposits harbored a diverse beetle fauna. The identified subset consisted of 91 beetle species from 12 families, with rove beetles being the most abundant and diverse visitors. Of the 85 species found with E. burchellii, 50 species were collected from only one or two refuse deposits. Conversely, seven species were found in 10 or more refuse deposits, indicating a certain level of habitat specialization. We matched adults and immatures for 22 beetle species via DNA barcodes, demonstrating that army ant middens also serve as a beetle nursery. The present survey highlights the significant ecological function of army ants as promoters of biodiversity and their status as keystone species in tropical rainforests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von Beeren
- Department of BiologyTechnical University of DarmstadtDarmstadtGermany
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and BehaviorThe Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Sebastian Pohl
- NUS CollegeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Division of ScienceYale‐NUS CollegeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Martin Fikáček
- Department of Biological SciencesNational Sun Yat‐sen UniversityKaohsiungTaiwan
- Department of EntomologyNational MuseumPragueCzech Republic
| | | | - Alexey K. Tishechkin
- California State Collection of ArthropodsCalifornia Department of Food and AgricultureSacramentoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Shûhei Yamamoto
- The Hokkaido University MuseumHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | | | - Dagmara Żyła
- Museum of Nature HamburgLeibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeHamburgGermany
| | - Alexandra Tokareva
- Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of SciencesWarsawPoland
| | | | | | - Liliana P. Sandoval
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePraha — SuchdolCzech Republic
| | - Daniel J. C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and BehaviorThe Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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Wang L, Liu H, Carvalho F, Chen Y, Lai L, Ge J, Tian X, Luo Y. Top-Down Effect of Arthropod Predator Chinese Mitten Crab on Freshwater Nutrient Cycling. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2342. [PMID: 37508124 PMCID: PMC10376719 DOI: 10.3390/ani13142342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquatic litter decomposition is highly dependent on contributions and interactions at different trophic levels. The invasion of alien aquatic organisms like the channeled apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) might lead to changes in the decomposition process through new species interactions in the invaded wetland. However, it is not clear how aquatic macroinvertebrate predators like the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) will affect the nutrient cycle in freshwater ecosystems in the face of new benthic invasion. We used the litter bag method to explore the top-down effect of crabs on the freshwater nutrient cycle with the help of soil zymography (a technology previously used in terrestrial ecosystems). The results showed significant feeding effects of crabs and snails on lotus leaf litter and cotton strips. Crabs significantly inhibited the intake of lotus litter and cotton strips and the ability to transform the environment of snails by predation. Crabs promoted the decomposition of various litter substrates by affecting the microbial community structure in the sediment. These results suggest that arthropod predators increase the complexity of detrital food webs through direct and indirect interactions, and consequently have an important impact on the material cycle and stability of freshwater ecosystems. This top-down effect makes macrobenthos play a key role in the biological control and engineering construction of freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Hongjun Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Francisco Carvalho
- CBMA-Center of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Biology Department, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Yunru Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
- Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, 14 Chegongzhuangxi Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Linshiyu Lai
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jiachun Ge
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
- Freshwater Fishery Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210017, China
| | - Xingjun Tian
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yunchao Luo
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
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Baratelli E, Tillberg C, Suarez A, Menke S, Naughton I, Holway D. Variation in Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) trophic position as a function of time. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02898-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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The predatory impacts of invasive European wasps on flies are facilitated by carcasses with open wounds. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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