Evaluation of the Prey Base and Feeding Relationships of the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) on Nantucket Island
| Main Authors: | Quinby, Brandon M., Flaherty, Elizabeth A., Creighton, J. Curtis |
|---|---|
| Format: | Report Journal |
| Bahasa: | eng |
| Terbitan: |
, 2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/4380468 |
Daftar Isi:
- Abstract: The American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, (ABB), once widely distributed across the eastern two-thirds of North America, has recently experienced a dramatic decline in abundance and geographic range. In 1989, the ABB was listed as a federally endangered species. The last recorded naturally occurring ABB on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts was in 1926. In 1994, efforts began to reestablish the ABB on Nantucket using lab-reared offspring of wild-caught individuals from Block Island, Rhode Island; the only naturally extant ABB population east of the Mississippi River. Despite an initially successful reintroduction, the population shows little evidence of recruitment and likely requires human assistance for long-term success. A key requirement of the ABB’s life cycle is the availability of small vertebrate carcasses used for breeding. Despite over 30 years of research, we know little about the preferred carrion base necessary to support a healthy ABB population. In this study, we investigated feeding relationships of local burying beetles using stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) conducted on small elytral clips collected from live-captured specimens. Because burying beetles build body tissues using nutrients from the carcass on which it was raised, the stable isotope ratios of δ13C and δ15N in adult burying beetles reflect their larval diet, indicating the carrion their parents used as a reproductive resource. We found a significant difference in δ13C and δ15N values among wild-caught burying beetle species. Additionally, δ13C and δ15N values differed significantly among wild-caught burying beetle species and potential carrion. This allows us to identify what small vertebrate species and the size of individual carrion used by N. americanus for reproduction. However, presently, our small samples sizes limit our interpretation of resources used by N. americanus, and other wild-caught burying beetle species.
- Submitted in fulfillment of a 2017 Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative grant.