Navarro Inmaculada, Castillo-Contreras Raquel
Department of Research, Fundación Artemisan, 13001 Ciudad Real, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Mar 4;15(5):732. doi: 10.3390/ani15050732.
Avian scavengers, particularly vultures, play a crucial role in ecosystem health by efficiently consuming carcasses, thereby reducing pathogen abundance and limiting disease transmission to wildlife, livestock, and humans. In addition to the indispensable role of vultures, they are a particularly threatened group of birds. This study investigates the environmental factors that optimize this ecosystem service by examining the scavenging dynamics of vultures and other species at deer carcasses in a hunting area in Sierra Madrona, Ciudad Real, Spain. Carcasses were placed in habitats with different vegetation densities (open vs. dense) and altitudes (high vs. low) and were monitored for 30 days using camera traps. Data on scavenger diversity, arrival times, and carcass persistence were analyzed using Bayesian multilevel models. Results reveal that vegetation density and altitude significantly influence vulture arrival times and carcass duration, with dense vegetation and low altitudes delaying scavenger access. These findings provide actionable insights for game management to enhance vulture conservation and improve both public and ecosystem health through timely and effective carcass removal.
食腐鸟类，尤其是秃鹫，通过高效地吞食动物尸体在生态系统健康中发挥着关键作用，从而减少病原体数量并限制疾病向野生动物、家畜和人类的传播。除了秃鹫不可或缺的作用外，它们还是特别受威胁的鸟类群体。本研究通过考察西班牙雷阿尔城马德罗纳山脉一个狩猎区鹿尸体上秃鹫和其他物种的食腐动态，调查了优化这种生态系统服务的环境因素。将尸体放置在具有不同植被密度（开阔与茂密）和海拔（高与低）的栖息地，并使用相机陷阱监测30天。使用贝叶斯多级模型分析了食腐动物多样性、到达时间和尸体存留时间的数据。结果表明，植被密度和海拔显著影响秃鹫的到达时间和尸体持续时间，茂密的植被和低海拔会延迟食腐动物的接触。这些发现为猎物管理提供了可操作的见解，以加强秃鹫保护，并通过及时有效地清除尸体来改善公众健康和生态系统健康。
