Abstract: Ephemeral resources are unique resource hotspots that can be scarce in both space and time, often resulting in amplified ecological activity. The ephemerality of a resource is the window of time in which a resource is available to the consumer. Though many species use ephemeral resources, little is known about how ephemerality affects reproduction. Burying beetles are specialist users of ephemeral resources, as their reproduction requires locating, defending, and burying a small carcass. Abiotic factors, such as moisture, strongly affect the ephemerality of these carcasses. We tested the role of carcass moisture and interspecific competition on reproductive success by placing pairs of the burying beetle Nicrophorus guttula in experimental chambers in the field. Pairs that were given fresh mouse carcasses were more likely to carry out reproductive behaviors and produce viable offspring than pairs that were given a dehydrated mouse. For those pairs that did reproduce, competition limited the number of offspring. These results are relevant under climate change, as abiotic factors, in addition to biotic factors, shift and interact with resources and their availability to consumers in time.
