Data from: Prey availability and ambient temperature influence carrion persistence in the boreal forest

We simultaneously monitored hare density and carrion biomass to examine their influence relative to temperature, habitat, and seasonal effects. For the primary scavengers, we developed species-specific scavenging models to determine variation on the effects of these factors across species, and determine which species may be driving temporal patterns in the entire community. 4. We found that the efficiency of the scavenging community was affected by hare density, with carcass persistence decreasing when snowshoe hare densities declined, mainly due to increased scavenging rates by Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis).

However, prey density did not influence the number of species scavenging a given carcass, suggesting prey abundance affects carrion recycling but not necessarily the number of connections in the food web. In addition, scavenging rates increased in warmer temperatures, and there were strong seasonal effects on the richness of the vertebrate scavenging community. 5. Our results demonstrate that vertebrate scavenging communities are sensitive to changes in species’ demography and environmental change, and that future assessments of food web dynamics should consider links established through scavenging.