Factors influencing abundance of the American burying beetle at different geographic scales Curtis Creighton Purdue University Calumet

Co-presenters Robert Basarache - Ouachita National Forest, United States Forest Service, Idabel, OK Mark V. Lomolino -SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY Mark Belk - Department of Integrative Biology Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Gary D. Schnell - Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK Ana E. Hiott - Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73072

Historical and Current Distributions

Hypotheses explaining the decline of the American burying beetle 1.Habitat loss and fragmentation (Anderson 1982) artificial lighting vertebrate competition loss of carrion congener competition 2.Extinction of the passenger pigeon 3.Pathogen

Body Size Implications

Larger species tend to depend on larger prey Larger species tend to occupy a greater diversity of habitats Larger species tend to require larger home ranges

Body Size Implications Larger species tend to occupy a greater diversity of habitats

Body Size Implications Larger species tend to occupy a greater diversity of habitats

Body Size Implications Larger species tend to require larger home ranges

Factors affecting abundance at local scales: Tiak District of Ouachita National Forest

Factors affecting local abundance

Tree density: 2.3 – 4.6 m 2 / ha

Factors affecting local abundance Tree density: 10.3 – 15.0 m 2 / ha

Factors affecting local abundance Year Beetles/Trap-night Plot 2 Plot 3 Plot 1

Factors affecting local abundance Seed-CutSelect 1Select 2 Site Beetles/Trap*night Before After Randomization test p = 0.045

Factors affecting abundance at local scales: Fort Chaffee

Factors affecting local abundance

r = p < 0.01

Factors affecting local abundance Distance (km) from border r = p < 0.01

Factors affecting local abundance

Factors affecting abundance at regional scales: Eastern Oklahoma

Beetle density - N. orbicollis Area size (ha) r = Factors affecting regional abundance

Beetle density -N. americanus Area size (ha) r = 0.94

Hypotheses explaining the decline of the American burying beetle 1.Habitat loss and fragmentation (Anderson 1982) artificial lighting vertebrate competition loss of carrion congener competition 2.Extinction of the passenger pigeon 3.Pathogen

Funding provided by: United States Forest Service Military Department of Arkansas United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Management