Vertebrate Scavenging on Sika Deer Carcasses and Its Effects on Ecological Processes
Vertebrate Scavenging on Sika Deer Carcasses and Its Effects on Ecological Processes
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脊椎动物对梅花鹿尸体的食腐及其对生态过程的影响
DOI：
10.1007/978-981-16-9554-4_21
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发表时间：
2022
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Koike Shinsuke
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Inagaki Akino;Allen Maximilian L.;Naganuma Tomoko;Koike Shinsuke
梅花鹿对生态群落的影响往往集中在“活”鹿的影响上，而“死”鹿对生物和环境的影响目前却鲜有人关注。死动物(即身体)是提供生态系统服务的食腐动物的优质食物资源，而食腐对生态系统的稳定起着重要的作用。日本的森林生态系统拥有过多的鹿，需要通过扑杀来持续控制种群数量。因此，自然死亡和人类狩猎和/或扑杀的鹿身体是许多脊椎动物食腐动物的巨大食物来源。在本州岛的森林生态系统中，我们记录了一个以鹿为食的脊椎动物食腐协会，鹿的身体由六种哺乳动物和三只鸟类组成。脊椎动物的食腐行为非常普遍，从动物身体到脊椎动物食腐动物的食腐环节是食物网中重要的能量传递环节之一。此外，梅花鹿的身体在大约一周内全部被吃掉；因此，脊椎动物食腐动物贡献了生态系统服务，从生态系统中清除可能具有传染性的身体。与过多的鹿种群及其管理相关的未来身体可获得性可能会改变食腐群落的功能。考虑腐肉管理是评估鹿及其生态过程的广泛影响的一个关键方面，并可能导致适当的生态系统管理。
The impacts of sika deer on ecological communities often focus on the effects of “alive” deer, but how “dead” deer affect organisms and the environment currently receives little attention. Dead animals (i.e., carcasses) are a high-quality food resource for scavengers that provide ecosystem services, and scavenging plays an important role in ecosystem stability. Forest ecosystems in Japan have an overabundance of deer and need constant population control via culling. Consequently, the deer carcasses from natural mortality and hunting and/or culling by human are a large food resource for many vertebrate scavengers. In the forest ecosystem of Honshu Island, we documented a vertebrate scavenger guild that feeds on deer carcass, which is composed of six mammals and three birds. Vertebrate scavenging is widespread, and the scavenging links from carcass to vertebrate scavengers are one of the essential energy transfers in food webs. Furthermore, sika deer carcasses were consumed entirely in about 1 week; thus, vertebrate scavengers contribute ecosystem services to remove potentially infectious carcasses from ecosystems. Future carcass availability related to overabundant deer populations and their management could alter the function of the scavenging community. Considering carrion management is a critical aspect in evaluating the widespread impact of deer and their ecological processes and could lead to proper ecosystem management.