| Institution: | 1. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6472-6957;2. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072 Australia;3. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072 Australia;4. Correspondence: E‐mail:;5. ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072 Australia;6. Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072 Australia;7. Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, USA |
| Abstract: | Many apex scavenger species, including nearly all obligate scavengers, are in a state of rapid decline and there is growing evidence these declines can drastically alter ecological food webs. Our understanding of how apex scavengers regulate populations of mesoscavengers, those less‐efficient scavengers occupying mid‐trophic levels, is improving; yet, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of the evidence around the competitive release of these species by the loss of apex scavengers. Here we present current evidence that supports the mesoscavenger release hypothesis, the increase in mesoscavengers and increase in carrion in the face of declining apex scavengers. We provide two models of scavenger dynamics to demonstrate that the mesoscavenger release hypothesis is consistent with ecological theory. We further examine the ecological and human well‐being implications of apex scavenger decline, including carrion removal and disease regulation services. |
