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Herbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short-term changes in soil properties

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Journal of Animal Ecology - 2026 - Colino‐Barea - Herbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short‐term (1).pdf(758.07 KB)
Date
2026-02-10
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Authors
Martínez-Carrasco Pleite, Carlos ; Huertas del Bosque, José Carlos ; Gonzálvez Juan, Moisés ; Colino-Barea, Adrián ; García-Orenes, Fuensanta ; Morales-Reyes, Zebensui ; Moleón, Marcos ; Redondo-Gómez, Daniel ; Marks, Evan A. N. ; García-Carmona, Minerva ; Arcenegui, Victoria ; Orihuela-Torres, Adrián ; Soliveres, Santiago ; Albolafio, Sofia ; Sebastián-González, Esther ; Sánchez-Zapata, José Antonio
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Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Veterinaria
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Publisher
Wiley British Ecological Society
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Sanidad Animal
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70214
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
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Abstract
1. Animal corpses act as pulses of organic matter (OM) and serve a key zoogeochemical role by providing localized nutrient inputs to soils and thereby contributing to maintaining soil functions and biogeochemical cycles. Among mammals, carnivore carcasses tend to persist longer than those of herbivores due to lower consumption rates from vertebrate scavengers. This, combined with the different composition and size of carnivore and herbivore carcasses, could modify the effects of animal-derived OM input on soil dynamics. 2. We examined changes in soil properties (pH, electrical conductivity [EC], organic carbon, aggregate stability (AS), microbial respiration and enzymatic activities) driven by the deployment of 20 red fox (Vulpes vulpes: mesocarnivore) and 19 aoudad (Ammotragus lervia: herbivore) carcasses. We also monitored their consumption with camera traps and assessed the modulating effect of scavenging patterns and carrion features (size, type: herbivore vs. mesocarnivore). 3. Carrion increased EC, phosphorus availability and microbial activity in the soil, but had little effect on soil organic carbon or pH. These effects were modulated by carcass size, type (fox or aoudad) and its associated consumption by scavengers. Additionally, scavenger richness modulated the effects of carrion on soil AS and phosphatase. 4. Due to lower carcass weight, longer persistence in the environment, and the interactions between vertebrate scavengers and the carcass, soils below mesocarnivore carcasses featured an enhanced increase in biochemical soil properties, suggesting wider changes in soil microbiological communities as compared to herbivore carcasses. 5. Through contrasting scavenger assemblages and consumption patterns, mesocarnivore and herbivore carcasses play distinct yet equally relevant roles in nutrient-limited dryland soils.
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Barbary sheep , Carcass removal , Carrion-soil cycle , Mesoscavenger community , Nutrient input pathways , Soil enzymatic activity , Vertebrate scavenging , Zoogeochemistry
Citation
Colino-Barea, A., García-Orenes, F., Morales-Reyes, Z., Gonzálvez, M., Martínez-Carrasco, C., Moleón, M., Redondo-Gómez, D., Marks, E. A. N., García-Carmona, M., Arcenegui, V., Huerta-del-Bosque, J. C., Orihuela-Torres, A., Soliveres, S., Albolafio, S., Sebastián-González, E., & Sánchez-Zapata, J. A. (2026). Herbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short-term changes in soil properties. Journal of Animal Ecology, 00, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70214
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10201/204302
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