Nitrogen mineralization and microbial populations in cow dung, dung balls and underlying soil affected by paracoprid dung beetles

1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 649-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ykoyama Kazuhira ◽  
Kai Hdeaki ◽  
Koga Takuro ◽  
Aibe Toshiharu
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Underlying Soil

scholarly journals Dung Beetle Assemblages Attracted to Cow and Horse Dung: The Importance of Mouthpart Traits, Body Size, and Nesting Behavior in the Community Assembly Process

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Mattia Tonelli ◽  
Victoria C. Giménez Gómez ◽  
José R. Verdú ◽  
Fernando Casanoves ◽  
Mario Zunino
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Assembly Process ◽  
Small Particles ◽  
Parental Investments ◽  
Trophic Resource ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Species Specific

Dung beetles use excrement for feeding and reproductive purposes. Although they use a range of dung types, there have been several reports of dung beetles showing a preference for certain feces. However, exactly what determines dung preference in dung beetles remains controversial. In the present study, we investigated differences in dung beetle communities attracted to horse or cow dung from a functional diversity standpoint. Specifically, by examining 18 functional traits, we sought to understand if the dung beetle assembly process is mediated by particular traits in different dung types. Species specific dung preferences were recorded for eight species, two of which prefer horse dung and six of which prefer cow dung. Significant differences were found between the functional traits of the mouthparts of the dung beetles attracted to horse dung and those that were attracted to cow dung. Specifically, zygum development and the percentage of the molar area and the conjunctive area differed between horse and cow dung colonizing beetles. We propose that the quantitative differences in the mouthpart traits of the species attracted to horse and cow dung respectively could be related to the differential capacity of the beetles to filtrate and concentrate small particles from the dung. Hence, the dung preference of dung beetles could be related to their ability to exploit a specific dung type, which varies according to their mouthpart traits. Moreover, we found that larger and nester beetles preferred cow dung, whereas smaller and non-nester beetles preferred horse dung. This finding could be related to the tradeoff between fitness and parental investments, and to the suitability of the trophic resource according to the season and species phenology.

Effects of paracoprid dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the growth of pasture herbage and on the underlying soil

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hea Son Bang ◽  
Joon-Ho Lee ◽  
Oh Seok Kwon ◽  
Young Eun Na ◽  
Yong Seon Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Underlying Soil

Paracoprid dung beetles and gaseous loss of nitrogen from cow dung

1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 643-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yokoyama Kazuhira ◽  
Kai Hideaki ◽  
Tsuchiyama Hirofumi
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Gaseous Loss

scholarly journals Prevalence of the dog nematode Spirocerca lupi in populations of its intermediate dung beetle host in the Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropole, South Africa

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Du Toit ◽  
C.H. Scholtz ◽  
W.B. Hyman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Spirocerca Lupi ◽  
High Infection ◽  
Host Parasite

Spirocerca lupi (Spirurida: Spirocercidae) is a cosmopolitan parasite, principally of domestic dogs and dung beetles are its main intermediate hosts. In South Africa there has recently been growing concern over the upsurge of reported cases of clinical spirocercosis in dogs, while little is known or understood about the dynamics of the host-parasite associations between dung beetles and this nematode. We determined and compared the prevalence of infection in dung beetles between rural, urban and periurban areas of Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropole. Dung beetles were sampled during April and October 2006, at various localities in each of these areas. Localities were selected on the basis of being focal areas of high infection with S. lupi in dogs. Pig, dog and cow dung-baited pitfall traps were used for sampling the beetles. Trap contents were collected 48 h after the traps had been set and only dung beetles were collected from the traps. In total, 453 specimens belonging to 18 species were collected from 63 pitfall traps in all three areas. The numbers of species that were collected varied among the three areas. Dung beetles, irrespective of species (18) and numbers (447), predominantly preferred pig dung. The prevalence of dung beetles infected with the larvae of S. lupi varied considerably in the three areas. In the urban area 13.5 % of the dung beetles dissected were infected, while the prevalence of S. lupi in dung beetles in the rural area was 2.3 %. All the dung beetles that were infected with this nematode showed a preference for omnivore (pig and dog) dung.

Advances in Cow Dung Ecology: International Aspects of the Australian Bush Fly Research Programme

1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-136
Author(s):  
R. C. Muirhead-Thomson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Southern Spain ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Intensive Research ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
And Control ◽  
International Aspects

Intensive research carried out over the last 20 years on the biology and control of the Australian bush fly, Musca vetustisima, a widespread and irritating pest of man in that region, has provided a wealth of information about the community relationships of fauna in the cow dung pats which provide the breeding habitat of the fly. The extension of this project to South Africa and to Southern Spain in the search for exotic dung beetles or allied controlling agents to deal with both the bush fly and the blood-sucking buffalo fly, Haematobia, has given this programme a wider significance.

scholarly journals Changes in Microbial Population Numbers during Composting of Some Organic Wastes in Greenhouse

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
E. C. Chinakwe ◽  
U. N. Nwogwugwu ◽  
V. I. Ibekwe ◽  
I. N. Nwachukwu ◽  
C. E. Ihejirika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermophilic Bacteria ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Faecal Coliforms ◽  
Bacterial Colony ◽  
Microbiological Methods ◽  
Colony Forming Units

Aim: This study identified and enumerated microorganisms associated with the composting of some organic wastes using the plate count method Study Design: The wastes were allowed to decompose for 70 days in greenhouse using the modified windrow method of composting. Standard methods were employed to monitor temperature changes in compost piles as well as changes in bacterial and fungal populations. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at in the Agricultural Research Centre of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. Methodology: The organic wastes  namely Poultry Litter (PL), Pig waste (PW), Cow dung (CD) and Source-Separated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) were composted/co-composted using the windrow method as modified .Sixty kilograms (60) each of PW, PL, CD and MSW were introduced respectively into 100-litre(L) buckets that had previously been perforated at several points. In the co-composted piles, 30 kg of both samples were introduced into the same 100 L bucket that had previously been perforated and then mixed thoroughly. The organic wastes were allowed to decompose at room temperature at a corner of the greenhouse. and initial microbial populations as well as subsequent populations  in the compost bins were studied using standard microbiological methods Results: Microbial populations increased concurrently with temperature during the first 3 – 4 weeks of composting except, however, for faecal coliforms and Salmonella. The highest temperature recorded was 60°C for cow dung (CD) compost pile though at maturity the temperature in all compost piles ranged between 27°C to 30°C. The bacterial colony forming units were higher than fungal colony forming units throughout the composting period for both mesopholic and themophilic microorganisms. The population of mesophilic organisms increased in the first 14 – 15 days; for cow dung, the initial total heterotrophic bacteria count (THBC) and total  coliform count (TCC) were 2.4 x107 cfu/g and 5.0 x105 cfu/g respectively and  increased to 2.5x108 cfu/g  and 1.7x107 cfu/g  for THBC and TCC, respectively, after the 14th day. Thermophilic bacteria dominated all the composting systems after the 21st day and lasted to the 35th day except for cow dung compost where thermophilic temperatures were still observed on the 45th day with a THBC of 6.3x106 cfu/g on the 49th day. Faecal coliforms and Salmonella were completely eliminated in all the compost systems after the 28th day with temperature values between 47°C – 60°C. Conclusion: Organic wastes when managed properly through the application of knowledge of composting can be transformed into beneficial materials for human and agricultural use.

scholarly journals Dung removal by dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and macrocyclic lactone use on cattle ranches of Yucatan, Mexico

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gertudis S. Basto Estrella ◽  
Roger I. Rodríguez Vivas ◽  
Hugo Delfín González ◽  
Jorge A. Navarro Alberto ◽  
Mario E. Favila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Ecological Function ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Insect Group

The expanded use of macrocyclic lactones (ML) to treat endo- and ectoparasites in cattle in tropical regions, can reduce dung beetle populations, and thus interrupt the dung removal process in cattle pasture ecosystems. During the reproductive period (the rainy season) of two functional groups of dung beetles (paracoprid and telocoprid Scarabaeinae), we compared dung removal amount in ranches where ML are and are not used in Yucatan, Mexico, through exclusion traps baited with 500 g of ML-free cow dung. On each ranch, two transects (separated by 500 m) with six traps each, were set up for 24 hours. After this time, all the dung remnants in each trap were obtained and weighed in order to record the dung removal. Results showed that dung removal amounts were similar in ranches with and without ML use. Dung beetles removed 40.1 % of all cow dung weighed. Paracoprids removed 87.46 % and telocoprids 12.54 % of all the dung that was removed. Our results indicated that the ecological function of dung beetles in the pastures studied, does not seem to be affected by the ML use, and that paracoprid species removed most of the dung. For both types of ranch, further studies that take into account the population dynamics and movement of the most important dung beetle species in the region are required, coupled with laboratory studies evaluating the effect of ML on their reproductive success. This could give some light on the effect of ML on the ecological function of this important insect group in the sustainability of cattle production systems. 

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