2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | TEMPORAL RESOURCE PARTITIONING OF WILDEBEEST CARCASSES AFTER RIVERINE MORTALITY EVENTS | Virtual Platform
TEMPORAL RESOURCE PARTITIONING OF WILDEBEEST CARCASSES AFTER RIVERINE MORTALITY EVENTS
Animal mortality can leave a legacy in aquatic ecosystems through the decomposition and assimilation of carcasses. The magnitude of the mortality event can influence the spatial and temporal availability of carcasses in the ecosystem and the scavengers that use them. We used photographic time series, river?side surveys, and telemetry data to investigate scavenger use and succession of wildebeest carcasses after mass drownings in the Mara River, Kenya. Carcass material was present three weeks after drownings, and bones remained even longer. Avian scavenger density per carcass was almost two orders of magnitude lower than has been documented for single terrestrial carcasses. Temporal resource partitioning by scavenger species was observed on a diel scale and throughout the period of decomposition. Telemetry data indicated approximately half of the tagged vultures used mass drowning events but only spent a small proportion of their time there. This suggests that competition still plays a role in scavenger dynamics at mass mortality events, and rewards of abundant resources may be offset by the risk of the river. Further research is needed to better understand the role of scavengers in processing animal carcass legacies in aquatic ecosystems.
- Aquatic–terrestrial biodiversity
- Food webs
- Meta-ecosystems
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Presenters/Authors
Katherine Handler
(), Yale University, katherine.handler@yale.edu;
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