Ecology and Taxonomy of Necrophilous Arthropods in Central Alberta

Dead animals of different species have distinct chemical compositions, habitats, body sizes, and physical structures, all of which impact the arthropod species that use them as resources. Arthropods also make use of these carcasses in distinct ways: some feed on the carrion directly, others hunt for prey in it, and others are phoretic or parasitic on the larger arthropods found there. Despite this diversity, our understanding of carrion and the biology and taxonomy of the organisms found on it is highly skewed towards the subset of species with forensic importance. My research attempts to correct this skew by focusing on the invertebrates found on small animal carrion. First, I tested whether species-level differences in vertebrate flesh lead arthropods to prefer some carcass types over others. This study consisted of a series of pitfall traps baited with small dead animals that were set throughout Central Alberta from May to September of 2023. ~6,000 insect specimens from ~70 different species were collected, and sorted into guilds based on how they make use of carrion. The species and guilds of insects collected using each type of bait were analyzed using the IndVal method to determine if they were indicators of any of the carrion types. The results indicate that most species are generalists, but that a few show preferences. Most notably, a preference for bird carrion was found in burying beetles in the genus Nicrophorus, which may help them locate carcasses small enough to bury. Next, I created a thoroughly illustrated identification key for all North American species of the staphylinid subfamily Silphinae, better known as carrion and burying beetles. These are large and conspicuous scavengers that can be found on dead animals throughout North America. Most species can be identified from a single dorsal photo, making them ideal for research using citizen science data. This photographic key aims to help researchers and the public identify these beetles, to summarize basic information on each species, and to raise awareness of taxonomic changes and species introductions that have occurred since older keys were published. I also provide suggestions for collecting and preserving carrion beetles. My last goal was to investigate cryptic taxonomy in phoretic mites of the genus Poecilochirus found on burying beetles. While many recent studies have found genetic diversity within this group that strongly suggest the existence of undescribed species, morphological analyses (especially of adults) are sorely lacking. I integrated DNA and morphology by rearing mite specimens to adulthood, using non-destructive DNA extraction techniques and then slide-mounting the specimens to examine their morphology. My results show consistent morphological differences between two previously identified genetic clusters, indicating that they are, in fact, different species.

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