Carrion-visiting ants in Brazil: a 26-year systematic review

Carrion decomposition is mediated by microorganisms and a diverse community of detritivorous and necrophagous insects. Among these, ants play an important role by either preying on other insects or fragmenting vertebrate carcasses, potentially delaying or accelerating the decomposition process. However, little is known about their diversity and ecological dynamics on carcasses in Brazil. This chapter presents a systematic review of research conducted in Brazil over the past 26 years involving ants and carcasses. During this period, 49 studies identified ants on carcasses, but most focused on other insect groups. A total of 162 ant species were recorded, likely an underestimate, as only 16% of studies identified ants to species level. The most frequently recorded genera were <i>Camponotus</i>, <i>Pheidole</i>, <i>Solenopsis</i>, and <i>Crematogaster</i>, which are also widely found in Brazil. Several ecological guilds were observed engaging in both necrophagy and predation. This lack of specificity suggests that ants’ role in carcass decomposition might not be strictily tied to their ecological guild. Instead, traits such as morphology could be more important than feeding or nesting habits in determining ants’ role and impact in decomposition. We propose a new research direction focusing on interactions and communities of frequently observed ant species with varying morphology and behavior in cadaveric contexts, alongside hypothesis-driven investigations in decomposition ecology and forensic entomology. Given the high species richness and research interest in the country, Brazil presents a promising scenario for studies on ants in carcasses and applied forensic entomology.

腐肉分解过程由微生物以及多样的食碎屑、食尸昆虫类群共同介导。其中，蚂蚁可通过捕食其他昆虫或碎裂脊椎动物腐尸发挥关键作用，或延缓或加速腐肉分解进程。然而，目前学界对巴西境内腐尸生境中蚂蚁的多样性及其生态动态尚缺乏充分认知。本章节对过去26年间巴西境内开展的蚂蚁与腐尸相关研究进行了系统综述。在此期间，共有49项研究在腐尸上记录到蚂蚁，但其中绝大多数研究的核心关注对象为其他昆虫类群。本次综述共记录到162种蚂蚁，该数值大概率存在低估——因为仅有16%的研究将蚂蚁鉴定至物种水平。被记录频次最高的蚂蚁属为弓背蚁属（Camponotus）、大头蚁属（Pheidole）、火蚁属（Solenopsis）以及举腹蚁属（Crematogaster），这些类群在巴西境内均有广泛分布。已有观测显示，多个蚂蚁生态类群同时兼具食尸与捕食行为。这种功能与食性的非专一性表明，蚂蚁在腐肉分解中的作用或许并不严格与其所属的生态类群绑定。相较取食或筑巢习性，形态特征等蚂蚁自身性状，或许更能决定其在腐肉分解中的作用与影响。本研究提出全新的研究方向：聚焦在腐尸环境中频繁出现的、具有不同形态与行为特征的蚂蚁类群的相互作用及其群落结构，同时开展基于假说驱动的腐肉分解生态学与法医昆虫学研究。鉴于巴西拥有极高的蚂蚁物种丰富度且相关研究关注度颇高，该国在腐尸蚂蚁研究与应用法医昆虫学领域具备极佳的研究前景。