The transformation of tropical dry forests is drastically impacting scavenger animal communities in southern Ecuador. This phenomenon disrupts the delicate balance in one of the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
A recent study by the University of Alicante has revealed that the decrease in biodiversity is simplifying these scavenger communities, replacing complex ecosystems with systems dominated by a limited number of opportunistic species.
The research team, which included experts from various universities, used camera traps to monitor sixty carcasses in the dry forests of the Tumbesian Region, documenting the presence of thirteen scavenger species, including mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The results showed that better-preserved forests have a greater diversity of scavengers. In these habitats, up to eleven different species were found, including birds like the king vulture.
Diversity of Scavengers
In contrast, in more degraded areas, a reduction in biodiversity was observed, with communities dominated by species such as the Sechura fox, which consumed almost half of the carcasses.
The research, published in Biodiversity and Conservation, is one of the first to quantify the functioning of scavenger communities in these ecosystems.
The study highlights how well-structured forests ensure the protection of vulnerable species and the maintenance of complex ecological processes.
The lead author, Adrian Orihuela-Torres, noted that carcasses in degraded areas disappeared faster, in one or two days, compared to conserved forests, where this process took more than three days.
The researchers warn that this apparent efficiency should not be seen as a sign of ecological resilience, but rather as a reorganization towards more homogeneous systems dominated by opportunistic species.
Additionally, scavenging behavior in opossums of the genus Marmosa was documented for the first time, expanding knowledge about the ecology of these marsupials.
It is crucial to conserve these well-structured forests not only to protect biodiversity but also to maintain the stability of essential ecological processes that sustain ecosystems.
