Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil

Abstract Current declines in terrestrial insect biomass and abundance have raised global concern for the fate of insects and the ecosystem services they provide. However, the ecological and economic contributions of many insects have yet to be quantified. Carrion-specializing invertebrates are impor...

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Autores principales:	Brooke K. Woelber-Kastner, Serita D. Frey, Daniel R. Howard, Carrie L. Hall
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/a2175425ddbc4dc08d8e757dbdae5509
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:a2175425ddbc4dc08d8e757dbdae55092021-12-02T12:09:32ZInsect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil10.1038/s41598-021-82988-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/a2175425ddbc4dc08d8e757dbdae55092021-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82988-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Current declines in terrestrial insect biomass and abundance have raised global concern for the fate of insects and the ecosystem services they provide. However, the ecological and economic contributions of many insects have yet to be quantified. Carrion-specializing invertebrates are important mediators of carrion decomposition; however, the role of their reproductive activities in facilitating this nutrient pulse into ecosystems is poorly understood. Here, we investigate whether insects that sequester carrion belowground for reproduction alter soil biotic and abiotic properties in North American temperate forests. We conducted a field experiment that measured soil conditions in control, surface carrion alone, and beetle-utilized carrion treatments. Our data demonstrate that Nicrophorus beetle reproduction and development results in changes in soil characteristics which are consistent with those observed in surface carrion decomposition alone. Carrion addition treatments increase soil labile C, DON and DOC, while soil pH and microbial C:N ratios decrease. This study demonstrates that the decomposition of carrion drives soil changes but suggests that the behaviors of insect scavengers play an important role in the release of carrion nutrients directly into the soil by sequestering carrion resources in the ecosystem where they were deposited.Brooke K. Woelber-KastnerSerita D. FreyDaniel R. HowardCarrie L. HallNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Brooke K. Woelber-Kastner Serita D. Frey Daniel R. Howard Carrie L. Hall Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
description	Abstract Current declines in terrestrial insect biomass and abundance have raised global concern for the fate of insects and the ecosystem services they provide. However, the ecological and economic contributions of many insects have yet to be quantified. Carrion-specializing invertebrates are important mediators of carrion decomposition; however, the role of their reproductive activities in facilitating this nutrient pulse into ecosystems is poorly understood. Here, we investigate whether insects that sequester carrion belowground for reproduction alter soil biotic and abiotic properties in North American temperate forests. We conducted a field experiment that measured soil conditions in control, surface carrion alone, and beetle-utilized carrion treatments. Our data demonstrate that Nicrophorus beetle reproduction and development results in changes in soil characteristics which are consistent with those observed in surface carrion decomposition alone. Carrion addition treatments increase soil labile C, DON and DOC, while soil pH and microbial C:N ratios decrease. This study demonstrates that the decomposition of carrion drives soil changes but suggests that the behaviors of insect scavengers play an important role in the release of carrion nutrients directly into the soil by sequestering carrion resources in the ecosystem where they were deposited.
format	article
author	Brooke K. Woelber-Kastner Serita D. Frey Daniel R. Howard Carrie L. Hall
author_facet	Brooke K. Woelber-Kastner Serita D. Frey Daniel R. Howard Carrie L. Hall
author_sort	Brooke K. Woelber-Kastner
title	Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
title_short	Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
title_full	Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
title_fullStr	Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
title_full_unstemmed	Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
title_sort	insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/a2175425ddbc4dc08d8e757dbdae5509
work_keys_str_mv	AT brookekwoelberkastner insectreproductivebehaviorsareimportantmediatorsofcarrionnutrientreleaseintosoil AT seritadfrey insectreproductivebehaviorsareimportantmediatorsofcarrionnutrientreleaseintosoil AT danielrhoward insectreproductivebehaviorsareimportantmediatorsofcarrionnutrientreleaseintosoil AT carrielhall insectreproductivebehaviorsareimportantmediatorsofcarrionnutrientreleaseintosoil
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Insect reproductive behaviors are important mediators of carrion nutrient release into soil

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