Patterson Jessica R, DeVault Travis L, Beasley James C
Savannah River Ecology Lab, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina USA.
Ecol Evol. 2022 Jul 17;12(7):e9122. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9122. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Scavenging plays a vital role in maintaining ecosystem health and contributing to ecological functions; however, research in this sub-discipline of ecology is underutilized in developing and implementing wildlife conservation and management strategies. We provide an examination of the literature and recommend priorities for research where improved understanding of scavenging dynamics can facilitate the development and refinement of applied wildlife conservation and management strategies. Due to the application of scavenging research broadly within ecology, scavenging studies should be implemented for informing management decisions. In particular, a more direct link should be established between scavenging dynamics and applied management programs related to informing pharmaceutical delivery and population control through bait uptake for scavenging species, prevention of unintentional poisoning of nontarget scavenging species, the epidemiological role that scavenging species play in disease dynamics, estimating wildlife mortalities, nutrient transfer facilitated by scavenging activity, and conservation of imperiled facultative scavenging species. This commentary is intended to provide information on the paucity of data in scavenging research and present recommendations for further studies that can inform decisions in wildlife conservation and management. Additionally, we provide a framework for decision-making when determining how to apply scavenging ecology research for management practices and policies. Due to the implications that scavenging species have on ecosystem health, and their overall global decline as a result of anthropic activities, it is imperative to advance studies in the field of scavenging ecology that can inform applied conservation and management programs.
食腐作用在维持生态系统健康和促进生态功能方面发挥着至关重要的作用；然而，生态学这一细分领域的研究在制定和实施野生动物保护与管理策略方面未得到充分利用。我们对文献进行了审视，并推荐了研究重点，即更好地理解食腐动态有助于制定和完善应用于野生动物保护与管理的策略。由于食腐研究在生态学中广泛应用，应开展食腐研究以为管理决策提供信息。特别是，应在食腐动态与相关应用管理项目之间建立更直接的联系，这些项目涉及通过食腐物种摄取诱饵来进行药物投放和种群控制、防止非目标食腐物种意外中毒、食腐物种在疾病动态中所起的流行病学作用、估计野生动物死亡率、食腐活动促进的营养物质转移以及濒危兼性食腐物种的保护。本评论旨在提供有关食腐研究中数据匮乏的信息，并提出进一步研究的建议，这些研究可为野生动物保护与管理决策提供参考。此外，我们提供了一个决策框架，用于确定如何将食腐生态学研究应用于管理实践和政策。鉴于食腐物种对生态系统健康的影响，以及由于人类活动导致它们在全球范围内整体数量下降，必须推进食腐生态学领域的研究，以为应用保护和管理项目提供信息。
