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

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMartínez-Carrasco Pleite, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorHuertas del Bosque, José Carlos
dc.contributor.authorGonzálvez Juan, Moisés
dc.contributor.authorColino-Barea, Adrián
dc.contributor.authorGarcía-Orenes, Fuensanta
dc.contributor.authorMorales-Reyes, Zebensui
dc.contributor.authorMoleón, Marcos
dc.contributor.authorRedondo-Gómez, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorMarks, Evan A. N.
dc.contributor.authorGarcía-Carmona, Minerva
dc.contributor.authorArcenegui, Victoria
dc.contributor.authorOrihuela-Torres, Adrián
dc.contributor.authorSoliveres, Santiago
dc.contributor.authorAlbolafio, Sofia
dc.contributor.authorSebastián-González, Esther
dc.contributor.authorSánchez-Zapata, José Antonio
dc.contributor.departmentSanidad Animal
dc.contributor.otherFacultades de la UMU::Facultad de Veterinaria
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-12T10:39:50Z
dc.date.available2026-02-12T10:39:50Z
dc.date.copyright© 2026 The Author(s).
dc.date.issued2026-02-10
dc.description.abstract1. 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.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.format.extent14
dc.identifier.citationColino-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
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70214
dc.identifier.eissn1365-2656
dc.identifier.issn0021-8790
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/204302
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherWiley British Ecological Society
dc.relationUniversidad de La Laguna; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Grant/Award Number: MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; Fundación CajaCanarias; Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, Grant/Award Number: CNS2023-144791, MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and RYC2019-027216-I; 'la Caixa' Foundation; Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Grant/Award Number: 2024-UNIVERS-12850; European Regional Development Fund, Grant/Award Number: CGL2017-89905-R, PID2021-128952NB-I00 and ID2023-146371NB-I00; European Social Fund Plus, Grant/Award Number: APOSTD/2019/016 and CIACIF/2023/324; Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidad, Junta de Andalucía, Grant/Award Number: PREDOC_00262.
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70214
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International*
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/*
dc.subjectBarbary sheep
dc.subjectCarcass removal
dc.subjectCarrion-soil cycle
dc.subjectMesoscavenger community
dc.subjectNutrient input pathways
dc.subjectSoil enzymatic activity
dc.subjectVertebrate scavenging
dc.subjectZoogeochemistry
dc.subject.odsObjetivo 15: Bosques, desertificación y diversidad biológica
dc.titleHerbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short-term changes in soil properties
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dspace.entity.typePublicationes
relation.isAuthorOfPublication74bbaf1b-2a73-4ec8-b1c6-429311688d3b
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationd0bfa3a6-c4d2-4225-b663-52987a201884
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery74bbaf1b-2a73-4ec8-b1c6-429311688d3b
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Journal of Animal Ecology - 2026 - Colino‐Barea - Herbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short‐term (1).pdf
Size:
758.07 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.37 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Artículos