Effects of available food resources on numbers of the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)

Abstract

Abstract We evaluated several factors that potentially influence where the federally endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is most abundant. We investigated associations of numbers of beetles and measures of abundance of vertebrates at Camp Gruber Military Reservation, Oklahoma. During summer 2003, 87 sites were surveyed for beetles (baited pitfall-traps), birds (modified point-count transects), and mammals (Museum Special snap-traps and rat traps), finding significant rank correlations of number of beetles with number of species of birds, number of individual birds, and biomass of birds but not with similar measures for mammals. Combined biomass of birds and mammals was significantly associated with number of beetles. Path analysis, considering four possible direct influences of measures for vertebrates on beetles, indicated number of beetles was directly and positively affected by biomass of birds and biomass of mammals and inversely by number of individual mammals, while number of...