Seasonal monopolization of small carrion by a scarab beetle in terra firme Amazonian rainforests
Description
Small vertebrate carcasses represent an abundant resource in tropical rainforests, where scavengers play a key role in nutrient recycling, enhancing productivity in nutrient-poor habitats such as Amazonian terra firme forests. However, the contributions of vertebrate and invertebrate taxa to carrion decomposition in Amazonia remain understudied. Using motion-triggered and time-lapse cameras, we documented vertebrate species and arthropod groups interacting with 52 guinea pig carcasses in terra firme and floodplain forests in the Peruvian Amazon during dry and wet seasons. We quantified their contributions to carcass removal and examined variation across habitats and seasons, as well as temporal resource partitioning among insect taxa. A single dung beetle species, Coprophanaeus lancifer, removed 93% of carcasses in terra firme during the wet season, by burying them on-site. In contrast, 92% of floodplain carcasses in the wet season were removed by vertebrates. C. lancifer was absent in the dry season, when vertebrates removed most carcasses. Carcasses buried by C. lancifer lasted less than 24 h, reducing detectability for vertebrates and limiting access for other arthropods and necrophagous flies. To our knowledge, this is the first record of a rainforest invertebrate outcompeting vertebrates for carrion under natural conditions, highlighting C. lancifer as a keystone species shaping carrion trophic interactions.
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Steps to reproduce
This dataset originates from a carrion-removal experiment conducted at Los Amigos Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon. We deployed 52 guinea pig carcasses (Cavia porcellus) across terra firme and floodplain forests during the wet (December–March) and dry (September) seasons to quantify vertebrate and invertebrate contributions to small-carcass removal. Each carcass was monitored continuously using paired time-lapse trail cameras (capturing images every 30 seconds) and an additional motion-triggered camera for vertebrates. The dataset includes: data on the temporal variation in the abundance of different arthropod taxa recorded on guinea pig carcasses (Diel_data), data on carcass prevalence and cause of disappearance in terra firme and floodplain Amazonian forests during the wet and dry seasons (Carcass_prevalence), and a general database with the baits' code, details and cause of disappearance (Cuy_codes_data). Files and variables: File: Carcass_prevalence.xlsx Description: This dataset includes data on carcass prevalence and cause of disappearance in terra firme and floodplain Amazonian forests during the wet and dry seasons, used in the paper "Seasonal monopolization of small carrion by a scarab beetle in terra firme Amazonian rainforests" by Chaboteaux et al. Variables: Location Carcass_ID Season Habitat Longitude Latitude Date_deployment Weight_g Hours_disappearance Cause_disappearance File: Diel_data.xlsx Description: This dataset includes data on the temporal variation in the abundance of different arthropod taxa recorded on guinea pig carcasses, used in the paper "Seasonal monopolization of small carrion by a scarab beetle in terra firme Amazonian rainforests" by Chaboteaux et al. Each row contains information on the number of individuals of each taxon recorded in a time-lapse picture, which were taken every hour. Variables: Location Carcass_ID Date Time Interval_24h Wasps Bees Ants Calliphoridae Mesembrinellidae Sarcophagidae Termites Cockroaches Eumastacidae Scarabaeinae C_lancifer File: Cuy_codes_data.csv Description: This dataset includes general data on the baits' coding, details, and cause of disappearance used in the paper "Seasonal monopolization of small carrion by a scarab beetle in terra firme Amazonian rainforests" by Chaboteaux et al. Variables: Carcass_ID_internal Carcass_ID Season Habitat Species Time_to_Disappear_h Weight_cuy_g Buried Vertebrate_Taken Arthropods Code/software: Microsoft Office Excel
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Funders
- Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationCalifornia, United States
- International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC)