Data for: Predation and biophysical context control long-term carcass nutrient inputs in an Andean ecosystem

Animal carcass decomposition is an often-overlooked component of nutrient
cycles. The importance of carcass decomposition for increasing nutrient
availability has been demonstrated in several ecosystems, but impacts in
arid lands are poorly understood. In a protected high desert landscape in
Argentina, puma predation of vicuñas is a main driver of carcass
distribution. Here, we sampled puma kill sites across three habitats
(plains, canyons, and meadows) to evaluate the impacts of vicuña carcass
and stomach decomposition on soil and plant nutrients up to 5 years after
carcass deposition. Soil beneath both carcasses and stomachs had
significantly higher soil nutrient content than adjacent reference sites
in arid, nutrient-poor plains and canyons, but not in moist, nutrient-rich
meadows. Stomachs had greater effects on soil nutrients than carcasses.
However, we did detect higher plant N concentrations at kill sites. The
biogeochemical effects of puma kills persisted for several years and
increased over time, indicating that kills do not create ephemeral
nutrient pulses, but can have lasting effects on the distribution of soil
nutrients. Comparison to broader spatial patterns of predation risk
reveals that puma predation of vicuñas is more likely in nutrient-rich
sites, but carcasses have the greatest effects on soil nutrients in
nutrient-poor environments, such that carcasses increase localized
heterogeneity by generating nutrient hotspots in less productive
environments. Predation and carcass decomposition may thus be important
overlooked factors influencing ecosystem functioning in arid environments.