DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ksn02v7f7
title: Scavenger community and carrion decomposition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

description: Animal carrion, an ephemeral but nutritional resource, supports diverse
 invertebrate species involved in the decomposition process. Necrophagous
 flies, as primary colonizers, can largely affect the invertebrate
 community and associated carrion removal; however, the effect of fly
 exclusion on invertebrate decomposers and associated carrion decomposition
 has been poorly understood.    To address this gap, we
 conducted a field experiment to investigate the response of arthropod
 scavengers and carrion removal to fly exclusion using yak carrion and
 chicken carrion in a Tibetan alpine meadow. Results show that flies
 (maggots) and necrophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were the
 predominant scavengers on both yak carrion and chicken carrion in the
 Tibetan alpine meadow. Maggots, necrophagous beetles, and predatory
 beetles responded differently to carrion types. Specifically, during the
 early stages of decomposition, maggots were more abundant on chicken
 carrion compared to yak carrion, while necrophagous beetles and predatory
 beetles dominated yak carrion during the late stages. The exclusion of
 flies significantly decreased both the richness and abundance of
 arthropods, as well as the decomposition rate of chicken carrion but not
 yak carrion. Our findings clearly demonstrate that excluding flies can
 modify temporal successional traits and structure of scavenger community,
 as well as decomposition rates of both chicken carrion and yak carrion,
 albeit with varying effect degrees. This study represents a comprehensive
 investigation into the influences of necrophagous flies and carrion type
 on carrion decomposition on the Tibetan Plateau, which holds important
 implications for understanding necrophilous assemblages.
description: # private for peer review
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v7f7](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v7f7) ## Description of the data and file structure **Data File Description** **File Name**: Data for 24-0206-EEN This Excel file contains two sheets that record different aspects of the experiment involving the decomposition of carrion and the diversity of arthropods. **Sheet1: diversity of arthropods** This sheet contains data on the diversity and abundance of arthropods observed during the experiment under different treatments. * **Carrion type**: The type of carrion used in the experiment. * **Sampling day**: The day on which sampling occurred, measured as the number of days since the start of the experiment. * **Repetition**: The experimental repetition number to identify replicates. * **Treatment**: The treatment applied during the experiment, either excluding or including flies. * **Species columns**: Each remaining column corresponds to a specific species, and the values represent the abundance of that species on each sampling day. **Sheet2: decomposition of carrion** This sheet contains data on the weight loss of carrion over time under different treatments. This sheet contains data on the initial and final weight of carrion in different treatments. * **Carrion type**: The type of carrion used in the experiment. * **Repetition**: The experimental repetition number to identify replicates. * **Treatment**: The treatment applied during the experiment, either excluding or including flies. * **Sampling day**: The day on which sampling occurred, measured as the number of days since the start of the experiment. * **Initial weight**: The initial weight of the carrion at the start of the experiment (in grams). * **Final weight**: The weight of the carrion at the time of sampling (in grams).