1. Understanding the links between biological communities and ecosystem service provision through the mechanisms driven by landscape structure is crucial to promote management strategies that safeguard both biodiversity and provision of these services. Here, we assess the impact of landscape structure and matrix contrast on carrion removal by scavenger insects, an often overlooked ecosystem service but of paramount importance for nutrient cycling and disease control.
2. We first hypothesize that more forested landscapes and less contrasting matrices harbour richer communities of scavenger insects, mainly composed of forest species. We then posit that these richer communities of scavenger insects promote a higher provision of the carrion removal service.
3. The scavenger insect community and carrion removal service was surveyed using 18 independent paired sampling sites (forest-agricultural matrix, composed either by coffee plantations or cattle pastures) in the Atlantic Brazilian Forest domain. We measured insect species richness, community composition and carrion removal amount using meat baits inside exclusion cages monitored along 6 days across a forest cover gradient (8%–89%) and distance gradient from forest edge (0–100 m to the interior of forest patches and adjacent matrix).
4. Species richness of scavenger insects was higher in more fragmented landscapes, with more forested areas presenting communities composed of mainly forest-associated species. Carrion in coffee plantations attracted richer communities than in cattle pastures or forests. Coffee plantations also presented communities with more forest-associated species than cattle pastures. Carrion removal was higher in both forest and coffee plantations compared to cattle pastures. Even though forest communities had lower species richness, key forest-associated groups were the bulk of a higher service provision.
5. Synthesis and applications. Forested landscapes with less contrasting matrices maintain a higher provision of carrion removal service by sustaining communities composed of scavenger insects with higher carrion removal capacity—mostly forest-associated species. Landscape management focusing on the conservation and reforestation of native forest patches, as well as reducing matrix contrast, could facilitate species spillover and thereby ensure the provision of carrion removal service.

中文翻译：

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更高的森林覆盖率和更少的对比矩阵改善了热带景观中食腐昆虫的腐肉清除服务

1. 通过景观结构驱动的机制了解生物群落与生态系统服务提供之间的联系对于促进保护生物多样性和提供这些服务的管理策略至关重要。在这里，我们评估了景观结构和基质对比对清道夫昆虫去除腐肉的影响，这是一种经常被忽视的生态系统服务，但对养分循环和疾病控制至关重要。
2. 我们首先假设更多的森林景观和较少对比的矩阵拥有更丰富的清道夫昆虫群落，主要由森林物种组成。然后我们假设这些更丰富的清道夫昆虫群落促进了腐肉清除服务的提供。
3. 清道夫昆虫群落和腐肉清除服务使用 18 个独立的配对采样点（森林-农业矩阵，由咖啡种植园或牛牧场组成）在大西洋巴西森林区域进行了调查。我们使用隔离笼内的肉饵测量了昆虫物种丰富度、群落组成和腐肉去除量，监测范围为 6 天，跨越森林覆盖梯度（8%–89%）和从森林边缘（0–100 m 到森林内部）的距离梯度。补丁和相邻矩阵）。
4. 在更破碎的景观中，食腐昆虫的物种丰富度更高，更多的森林地区呈现出主要由森林相关物种组成的群落。与牛牧场或森林相比，咖啡种植园中的腐肉吸引了更富裕的社区。咖啡种植园还为社区提供了比牛牧场更多的森林相关物种。与牛牧场相比，森林和咖啡种植园的腐肉去除率更高。尽管森林社区的物种丰富度较低，但与森林相关的关键群体是提供较高服务的主体。
5. 合成与应用。具有较少对比矩阵的森林景观通过维持由具有较高腐肉去除能力的清道夫昆虫组成的群落（主要是与森林相关的物种）来维持较高的腐肉去除服务。以保护和重新造林原生森林斑块为重点的景观管理，以及减少基质对比，可以促进物种外溢，从而确保提供腐肉清除服务。