Vertebrate scavenging in a subtropical biodiversity experiment

Biodiversity generally enhances ecosystem functioning, but the strength of this relationship varies across sites and scales. One explanation is that biodiversity-driven complementarity among plants operates mainly at local scales. Because higher-trophic animals have large ranges and high mobility, biodiversity may have limited effects on their functions, particularly in BEF experiments with small plots. Yet, such effects have rarely been tested. Here, we investigated how tree species richness influences vertebrate scavenging by monitoring the removal of over 5,000 mouse carcasses across 96 plots in 2023-2024, and across 300 plots in 2025 along a tree diversity gradient in subtropical BEF-China. Carrion removal was low in spring 2023 and autumn 2025 (~10%) but much higher in summer 2024 (~30%). Removal rates increased with tree species richness, shallower slopes, and denser canopies, though these relationships varied among years. Our findings underscore the roles of topography and forest structure in vertebrate scavenging and suggest that localized biodiversity effects can persist even for ecosystem functions involving high-trophic-level animals.