Care for
the the American burying beetle, (Nicrophorus americanus)
What is it?
The American burying beetle historically ranged from at
least 150 counties in 35 states in the eastern and central United States. The American burying beetle has only been identified to
have populations in four states: Nebraska, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
While Massachusetts failed at reintroduction in 1997, Ohio is
trying to reintroduce a population of American burying beetles still today.
Why is it extinct?
The American burying beetle is
believed to have gone extinct by 1923 due to increased edge effects and
crippling anthropogenic conditions. The large historic range provides that
the American burying beetle did not require very specific habitat or
climate conditions, just that the region had a summer with temperatures above
15 degrees Celsius/60 Fahrenheit. The decline is directly linked to
human population increases and the increased edge effect which resulted from
the land use changes (agriculture, pavement). The greatest factor of their
extinction has been the changes/decreases in plant and animal carrion (dead rem
Why should I care?
The American burying beetle is important to ecosystem
productivity as it not only is a food source for many tertiary species, but it
serves the important role of feeding on microbes and fly eggs of carrion. Essentially
their presence accelerates productivity by increasing the cycling of nutrients
and preventing the manifestation of diseases in carrion which will be consumed
by scavengers. Additionally their anatomy could be invaluable for scientific
and medical research.
What action is being
taken?
Not
a lot. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife services has established a recovery plan that
is still active. The plan mostly includes identifying remaining populations in
Eastern States and protecting them from land development of state or federal agencies.
There is some reintroduction from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service in
southeast Ohio. Populations in the remaining 4 states are being monitored and
provided protection over their critical habitats under the ESA.
What can you do or not
do?
Raise
awareness about this species and the impact of light pollution and habitat fragmentation.
Do not support development practices which alters the distribution of plant and
animal carrion and fragment their habitat. Be aware of what the look like and don’t
disturb them. As there are many factors contributing to their demise, reintroduction
is not entirely realistic until we can remove the factors that caused their extinction.
That said, populations could revitalize if we remove some anthropogenic changes
to our natural environment. 