Scavenger community and carrion decomposition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Animal carrion, an ephemeral but nutritional resource, supports diverse invertebrate species involved in the decomposition process. Necrophagous flies, as primary colonizers, can largely affect the invertebrate community and associated carrion removal; however, the effect of fly exclusion on invertebrate decomposers and associated carrion decomposition has been poorly understood.   

To address this gap, we conducted a field experiment to investigate the response of arthropod scavengers and carrion removal to fly exclusion using yak carrion and chicken carrion in a Tibetan alpine meadow.

Results show that flies (maggots) and necrophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were the predominant scavengers on both yak carrion and chicken carrion in the Tibetan alpine meadow. Maggots, necrophagous beetles, and predatory beetles responded differently to carrion types. Specifically, during the early stages of decomposition, maggots were more abundant on chicken carrion compared to yak carrion, while necrophagous beetles and predatory beetles dominated yak carrion during the late stages. The exclusion of flies significantly decreased both the richness and abundance of arthropods, as well as the decomposition rate of chicken carrion but not yak carrion.

Our findings clearly demonstrate that excluding flies can modify temporal successional traits and structure of scavenger community, as well as decomposition rates of both chicken carrion and yak carrion, albeit with varying effect degrees. This study represents a comprehensive investigation into the influences of necrophagous flies and carrion type on carrion decomposition on the Tibetan Plateau, which holds important implications for understanding necrophilous assemblages.