Habitat continuity matters: Ancient woodlands tend to have higher biomass and catching rate of dung beetles, mainly driven by one large species

Ontogeny of Megalolaelaps colossus sp. nov. (Acari: Megalolaelapidae), an enigmatic symbiont of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Colombia

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.23.6.7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 1102 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jose Orlando Cómbita-Heredia ◽

Edwin Javier Quintero-Gutiérrez ◽

Hans Klompen

Keyword(s):

Embryonic Development ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Large Species

Post-embryonic development of Megalolaelaps colossus sp. nov., is described and illustrated. This unusually large species of mite is closely associated with the dung beetle Oxysternon conspicillatum (Weber) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Colombia. All instars of the mite occur on the beetle, except for the larva. This is the first description of all instars for a species in this genus.

Download Full-text

Large-scale spatial ecology of dung beetles

Ecography ◽

10.1034/j.1600-0587.2001.d01-207.x ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 511-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Tomas Roslin

Keyword(s):

Spatial Ecology ◽

Large Scale ◽

Dung Beetles

Download Full-text

Poorly known and possible myrmecophiles in the spider beetles and dung beetles: How rare can they be?

10.1603/ice.2016.107665 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

T. Keith Philips

Keyword(s):

Dung Beetles

Download Full-text

Dung beetles attendance based on the age differences of dung

10.1603/ice.2016.110825 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Etik Susanti

Keyword(s):

Age Differences ◽

Dung Beetles

Download Full-text

Halffter, Gonzalo, and Matthews, Eric G.: The Natural History of Dung Beetles of the Subfamily Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) – In: Folia Entomologica Mexicana México, D. F. (Soc. Mexicana de Entomologia), Nr. 12–14, 1966; 312 S., 52 Abb

Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologisches Museum und Institut für Spezielle Zoologie (Berlin) ◽

10.1002/mmnz.4830450211 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 426-427

Author(s):

F. Hieke

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

History Of

Download Full-text

Rapid, large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa using 1D MinION sequencing

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-019-0706-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Amrita Srivathsan ◽

Emily Hartop ◽

Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽

Wan Ting Lee ◽

Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Sequences ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Small Body ◽

Small Subset ◽

Similar Species ◽

Large Species ◽

Morphological Examination ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Short Period

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.

Download Full-text

Wood Pastures: A Transitional Habitat between Forests and Pastures for Dung Beetle Assemblages

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12010025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

László Somay ◽

Viktor Szigeti ◽

Gergely Boros ◽

Réka Ádám ◽

András Báldi

Keyword(s):

Functional Group ◽

Animal Health ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Pitfall Traps ◽

Assemblage Composition ◽

Beetle Assemblages

Wood pastures are home to a variety of species, including the dung beetle. Dung beetles are an important functional group in decomposition. Specifically, in terms of livestock manure, they not only contribute to nutrient cycling but are key players in supporting human and animal health. Dung beetles, however, are declining in population, and urgent recommendations are needed to reverse this trend. Recommendations need to be based on solid evidence and specific habitats. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of an intermediate habitat type between forests and pastures. Wood pastures are key areas for dung beetle conservation. For this reason, we compared dung beetle assemblages among forests, wood pastures, and grasslands. We complemented this with studies on the effects of dung type and season at three Hungarian locations. Pitfall traps baited with cattle, sheep, or horse dung were used in forests, wood pastures, and pasture habitats in spring, summer, and autumn. Dung beetle assemblages of wood pastures showed transient characteristics between forests and pastures regarding their abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, assemblage composition, and indicator species. We identified a strong effect of season and a weak of dung type. Assemblage composition proved to be the most sensitive measure of differences among habitats. The conservation of dung beetles, and the decomposition services they provide, need continuous livestock grazing to provide fresh dung, as well as the maintenance of wood pastures where dung beetle assemblages typical of forests and pastures can both survive.

Download Full-text

Bioethanolic yeasts from dung beetles: tapping the potential of extremophilic yeasts for improvement of lignocellulolytic feedstock fermentation

Biotechnology for Biofuels ◽

10.1186/s13068-021-01940-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anita Ejiro Nwaefuna ◽

Karl Rumbold ◽

Teun Boekhout ◽

Nerve Zhou

Keyword(s):

Treatment Process ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Production Costs ◽

Industrial Wastes ◽

Major Drawback ◽

Renewable Fuel ◽

Extreme Stress ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

The Cost ◽

Simultaneous Saccharification

AbstractBioethanol from abundant and inexpensive agricultural and industrial wastes possesses the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bioethanol as renewable fuel addresses elevated production costs, as well as food security concerns. Although technical advancements in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation have reduced the cost of production, one major drawback of this technology is that the pre-treatment process creates environmental stressors inhibitory to fermentative yeasts subsequently reducing bioethanol productivity. Robust fermentative yeasts with extreme stress tolerance remain limited. This review presents the potential of dung beetles from pristine and unexplored environments as an attractive source of extremophilic bioethanolic yeasts. Dung beetles survive on a recalcitrant lignocellulose-rich diet suggesting the presence of symbiotic yeasts with a cellulolytic potential. Dung beetles inhabiting extreme stress environments have the potential to harbour yeasts with the ability to withstand inhibitory environmental stresses typically associated with bioethanol production. The review further discusses established methods used to isolate bioethanolic yeasts, from dung beetles.

Download Full-text