Seasonality, dung specificity and competition in dung beetle assemblages in the Australian Wet Tropics, north-eastern Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Vernes ◽  
Lisa C. Pope ◽  
Christopher J. Hill ◽  
Felix Bärlocher
Keyword(s):  
Null Model ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Species Effect ◽  
Wet Tropics

A trapping study of five mammal species in wet sclerophyll forest adjacent to rain forest in the Australian Wet Tropics was used to examine the seasonal diversity, abundance and dung-specificity of dung beetles associated with mammal dung. A total of 542 dung beetles from 11 species within three genera was recovered from beneath the traps of 1104 mammal captures. The diversity of beetles associated with the dung of the northern bettong (Bettongia tropica), a mycophagous marsupial, differed significantly from the diversity predicted by a null model. Numbers of beetles varied significantly with type of dung, indicating preference by beetles. Beetle numbers were related positively to a 1-mo lag in monthly mean minimum temperature and less strongly to maximum temperature and rainfall. Significantly more beetles per mammal capture were detected in the wet season than in the dry season. Dung beetles showed a strong preference for either the Eucalyptus woodland (six species) or the adjacent Allocasuarina forest (four species), with only one species occurring in both habitat types. Beetle species from the Eucalyptus woodland were typically only detected in the late wet and early dry seasons, while species in the wetter Allocasuarina forest were generally collected during the late dry and early wet seasons. A significant ‘checkerboard’ species effect was detected in both time and space in both habitat types, suggesting that competition for dung was strong.

Dung burial by native and introduced dung beetles (Scarabaeidae)

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tyndale-Biscoe
Keyword(s):  
Introduced Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

The quantity of dung buried and shredded by dung beetles at four sites in south-eastern Australia was found to be positively correlated with the dry weight (biomass) of beetles in the pads. Each of the four sites has two abundant native species of dung beetles, and one to five well-established introduced species present. At Uriarra, where only one introduced species is common, a mean of 7 . 2 l � 1.94% (1990-91) and 6.01�1.31% (1991-92) of the dung was buried per week. At Fyshwick, with two common introduced species of dung beetles, 22.27� 4.03% (1990-91) and 12 04�2 72% (1991-92) of the dung was buried per week. Braidwood, with four introduced species, had a mean of 15.81� 2.82% (1991-92) weekly dung buried, and Araluen, with five introduced species, had 30.18�8- 73% (1992-93) dung buried per week. Dung beetle numbers were low at all sites during the first half of 1991-92 season due to a drought throughout the region. Dung shredding averaged less than 12% over the seasons at all sites, but fluctuated from 0 to 70%, depending mainly on beetle numbers in the dung pads on individual occasions. Increasing numbers of exotic dung beetles throughout the pastoral areas of Australia should result in increased amounts of dung buried and shredded, with correspondingly increased benefits to Australian agriculture.

Diversity and body size of dung beetles attracted to different dung types along a tropical land-use gradient in Sulawesi, Indonesia

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahabuddin ◽  
Purnama Hidayat ◽  
Sjafrida Manuwoto ◽  
Woro A. Noerdjito ◽  
Teja Tscharntke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Habitat Disturbance ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Habitat Types

Abstract:Dung beetles are a functionally important component of most terrestrial ecosystems, but communities change with habitat disturbance and deforestation. In this study, we tested if dung beetle ensembles on dung of introduced cattle and of the endemic anoa, a small buffalo, are affected differentially by habitat disturbance. Therefore, we exposed 10 pitfall traps, five baited with anoa and five baited with cattle dung, per site in six habitat types ranging from natural and selectively logged rain forest to three types of agroforestry system (characterized by different management intensity) and open areas (n = 4 replicate sites per habitat type) at the margin of Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. We found 28 species, 43% of which were endemic to Sulawesi. Species richness, abundance and biomass declined from natural forest towards open area. Large-bodied species appeared to be more sensitive to habitat disturbance and the ratio of large to small-sized dung beetles declined with land-use intensity. Although selectively logged forest and cocoa agroforestry systems had lower species richness compared with natural forest, they appeared to maintain a high portion of species originally inhabiting forest sites. The similarity of dung beetle ensembles recorded at forest and agroforestry sites reflects the high similarity of some habitat variables (e.g. vegetation structure and microclimate) between both habitat types compared with open areas. Species richness and abundances as well as species composition, which was characterized by decreases in mean body size, changed with land-use intensity, indicating that dung type is less important than habitat type for determining ensemble structure of these Indonesian dung beetles.

Attempts to measure the influence of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the field mortality of the bush fly Musca vetustissima Walker (Diptera: Muscidae) in south-eastern Australia

1983 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. H. Wallace ◽  
M Tyndale-Biscoe
Keyword(s):  
Total Mortality ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Predatory Mites ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
The Other ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
South Eastern Australia

AbstractThe immature stages of Musca vetustissima Wlk. in dung pads in south-eastern Australia suffered a high mortality through the actions of a complex array of dung organisms, including dung beetles (scarabaeids), predatory beetles (hydrophilids and histerids) and predatory mites (Macrocheles glaber (Müll.)). At times of high dung beetle numbers, it was possible to demonstrate a relationship between fly mortality and dung beetle numbers. Single-species dung beetle populations appeared to be as effective as multiple-species populations in reducing fly numbers, except that some benefit was derived from a combination of day- and night-flying species. When dung beetle numbers were low, their influence could not be measured because of the high mortalities already caused by the other dung fauna. It is suggested that in those circumstances any mortality caused by the dung beetles may simply have become substituted for an existing mortality caused by other fauna without adding to the total mortality.

Habitat specificity and food preferences of an assemblage of tropical Australian dung beetles

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Food Preferences ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Habitat Specificity ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Wet Tropics

ABSTRACTTwo dung beetle assemblages from rainforest and open forest in the wet tropics of north-eastern Australia are described. The fauna was sampled using flight intercept traps, baited pitfall traps and light traps, with flight intercept traps being the most effective sampling technique. Dung beetle species were found to be highly habitat specific with a switch from rainforest to open forest assemblages occurring over tens of metres. The majority of the fauna was active at night. The most abundant species were attracted to a variety of food types but several species appeared to specialize on either dung or mushrooms.

Population status of the bush fly, Musca vetustissima (Diptera: Muscidae), and native dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in south-eastern Australia in relation to establishment of exotic dung beetles

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Tyndale-Biscoe ◽  
W.G. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Dry Weight ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Replacement Level ◽  
Onthophagus Taurus ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Discomfort Threshold ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Total Dry Weight

AbstractWe compare the pest status and age structure of bush fly,Musca vetustissima Walker, populations, and the abundance of native dung beetles at Uriarra, ACT, for five fly seasons before (1976–81) and three seasons after (1990–93) the exotic dung beetles Euoniticellus fulvus (Goeze) and Onthophagus taurus (Schreber) became established in the area during the late 1980s. Fly populations in all post-introduction seasons of 1990–93 were much older than in the pre-introduction seasons, indicating reduced levels of local fly breeding and higher proportions of immigrants. During the pre-introduction period, the fly annoyance index exceeded the ‘minimum discomfort’ threshold of 10.0 in parts of all seasons. The mean index was 11.3, and this did not differ significantly between seasons. The total dry weight of dung beetles at the time of the first influx of bush flies each year was consistently below 3 g/dung pad which was apparently too low to depress bush fly breeding below their replacement level of 3%. The mean annoyance index of 3.1 for the 1990–91 season was significantly lower than for the pre-introduction period and the total dry weight of beetles during November-December exceeded 3 g/dung pad on all sampling occasions. In the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons fly annoyance indices reverted to pre-introduction levels (seasonal means of 13.7 and 7.8 respectively) and total dry weight of beetles was again below 3 g/dung pad when the bush flies first appeared. Survival of immature bush flies in local dung pads remained below the replacement level of 3% during 1990–91, but exceeded 3% on two occasions during 1991–92. Apart from 1976–77, when mean catches of native dung beetles (O. australis and O. granulatus) were exceptionally high, mean catches of native dung beetles during pre- and post-introduction years were very similar, but the mean dung beetle biomass increased following the establishment of exotic species.

scholarly journals Species composition and community structure of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) compared among savanna and forest formations in the southwestern Brazilian Cerrado

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jorge Luiz da Silva ◽  
Ricardo José da Silva ◽  
Izaias Médice Fernandes ◽  
Wesley Oliveira de Sousa ◽  
Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Gallery Forest ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Although dung beetles are important members of ecological communities and indicators of ecosystem quality, species diversity, and how it varies over space and habitat types, remains poorly understood in the Brazilian Cerrado. We compared dung beetle communities among plant formations in the Serra Azul State Park (SASP) in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Sampling (by baited pitfall and flight-interception traps) was carried out in 2012 in the Park in four habitat types: two different savanna formations (typical and open) and two forest formations (seasonally deciduous and gallery). A total of 5,400 individuals collected comprised 57 species in 22 genera. Typical savanna had the greatest species richness and abundance, followed by open savanna and deciduous forest, while the gallery forest had the fewest species but high abundance. Tunnelers (one of three main nesting behavior guilds) showed the greatest richness and abundance (except in the gallery forest, where one dweller species was extremely abundant) in all plant formations. We found that species richness and abundance of the dung beetle community are influenced by differences among plant formations. Habitat heterogeneity in the different plant formations along with anthropic influences (fire, habitat fragmentation) are cited as important factors that explain guild and species richness and distribution patterns. These results emphasize the importance of protected areas, such as SASP, for the maintenance and conservation of species diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado.

scholarly journals Dung beetle community assemblages in a southern African landscape: niche overlap between domestic and wild herbivore dung

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
B. Sands ◽  
N. Mgidiswa ◽  
S. Curson ◽  
C. Nyamukondiwa ◽  
R. Wall
Keyword(s):  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cattle Dung ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Diurnal Species

Abstract Dung beetles provide important ecosystem functions in semiarid environments, improving the physiochemical characteristics of the soil through tunnelling and burying nutrient-rich dung. In sub-Saharan Africa, diverse indigenous mammal communities support highly abundant dung beetle populations in savannah ecosystems. However, the conversion of landscapes to livestock agriculture may result in changes in the abundance and diversity of wild mammal species. This is likely to have significant impacts on dung beetle communities, particularly because domestic livestock dung may be contaminated with toxic residues of veterinary parasiticides. The environmental impact is likely to be affected by the degree of niche overlap between the beetle communities that colonize cattle dung and those that colonize the dung of wild mammals. We compared dung beetle communities between a pristine national park habitat dominated by large wild herbivores, and a pastoral farming community dominated by domestic livestock. Diurnal dung beetles were attracted to cattle dung in greater abundance and diversity compared to elephant, zebra or giraffe dung. Nocturnal/crepuscular dung beetles were attracted to non-ruminant dung (elephant and zebra) in higher abundance compared to ruminant dung (cattle and giraffe). Although there were no clear trophic specializations, three diurnal species showed an association with cattle dung, whereas eight nocturnal/crepuscular species showed an association with non-ruminant (elephant and zebra) dung. Diurnal species may be at greater risk from the toxic effects of residues of veterinary parasiticides in domestic livestock dung. Although many species showed trophic associations with wild herbivore dung, these beetles can utilize a wide range of dung and will readily colonize cattle dung in the absence of other options. As more land is converted to livestock agriculture, the contamination of dung with toxic residues from veterinary parasiticides could therefore negatively impact the majority of dung beetle species.

scholarly journals Dung beetle–mammal associations: methods, research trends and future directions

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1897) ◽  
pp. 20182002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth H. Raine ◽  
Eleanor M. Slade
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Dung beetles are increasingly used as a study taxon—both as bioindicators of environmental change, and as a model system for exploring ecosystem functioning. The advantages of this focal taxon approach are many; dung beetles are abundant in a wide range of terrestrial ecosystems, speciose, straightforward to sample, respond to environmental gradients and can be easily manipulated to explore species-functioning relationships. However, there remain large gaps in our understanding of the relationship between dung beetles and the mammals they rely on for dung. Here we review the literature, showing that despite an increase in the study of dung beetles linked to ecosystem functioning and to habitat and land use change, there has been little research into their associations with mammals. We summarize the methods and findings from dung beetle–mammal association studies to date, revealing that although empirical field studies of dung beetles rarely include mammal data, those that do, indicate mammal species presence and composition has a large impact on dung beetle species richness and abundance. We then review the methods used to carry out diet preference and ecosystem functioning studies, finding that despite the assumption that dung beetles are generalist feeders, there are few quantitative studies that directly address this. Together this suggests that conclusions about the effects of habitat change on dung beetles are based on incomplete knowledge. We provide recommendations for future work to identify the importance of considering mammal data for dung beetle distributions, composition and their contributions to ecosystem functioning; a critical step if dung beetles are to be used as a reliable bioindicator taxon.

scholarly journals Dung beetle assemblages in lowland forests of Pangandaran Nature Reserve, West Java, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Windra Priawandiputra ◽  
Yamato Tsuji ◽  
Kanthi Arum Widayati ◽  
Bambang Suryobroto
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
West Java ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Lowland Forests

Abstract. Priawandiputra W, Tsuji Y, Widayati KA, Suryobroto B. 2020. Dung beetle assemblages in lowland forests of Pangandaran Nature Reserve, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 497-504. Dung beetles play crucial role in forest ecosystem, but no information on the dung beetle fauna has been reported in lowland forest of Java Island, Indonesia. Pangandaran Nature Reserve (PNR) area, which is recognized as lowland habitat of wildlife, can also support diversity of dung beetles. This study was conducted to examine the dung beetle diversity in lowland forests of PNR. The dung beetles were collected using pitfall traps baited with five species of mammal’s feces and hand collection of beetles found on dung along the road, between 2016 and 2018. During the study, 853 individuals of dung beetles from 17 species were collected. The dominant species were Onthophagus babirussa with 434 individuals (50.8%). The species were not dominant in the mountainous forests of West Java and in lowland forests of Southeast Sulawesi and East Kalimantan. The highest dung beetle abundances were found during the dry season (August): 335 individuals in 2017 and 286 in 2018. However, the diversity index value of dung beetles in this study was lower in the dry season than in the wet season (t-test of diversity index, P<0.05). The dung beetle assemblages in PNR were barely similar to most dung beetle studies of other regions.

scholarly journals Metagenomic sequencing of dung beetle intestinal contents directly detects and identifies mammalian fauna

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conrad P.D.T. Gillett ◽  
Andrew J. Johnson ◽  
Iain Barr ◽  
Jiri Hulcr
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
List Type ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Biodiversity Assessment ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Intestinal Contents

SummaryCost, time, and expertise constraints limit traditional observation-based comprehensive biodiversity assessment. Therefore, surrogate focal taxa representative of wider biodiversity are commonly used as an imperfect ‘proxy’. Contemporary biodiversity assessments are also increasingly benefiting from the combination of high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic methodologies that enable identification of environmental DNA samples. However, there is a need for empirical studies combining the use of surrogate taxa with metagenomic approaches, that promise rapid and efficient biodiversity assessment.We here tested for the first time the possibility of using the intestinal contents of wild-collected dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) as a source of mammalian DNA, in a metagenomics proof-of-concept approach to directly detect and identify mammals from an area of savanna-scrub in southern Africa. Dung beetles have been purveyed as an indirect proxy measure of mammalian diversity, owing to their dependence upon vertebrate dung as a food source, and the ease with which they can be comprehensively sampled using simple and repeatable trapping protocols, achievable much faster than vertebrate surveys.Following shotgun sequencing of gut content DNA extractions from ten dung beetle species, we usedin silicofilters to identify mammals by searching the resulting reads against known mammalian mitochondrial DNA from online sequence repositories, matching 546 paired reads to known mitogenomes held in GenBank, and 634 reads to known mammal barcode sequences held in BOLD. Identified mammalian sequences were consistent with wild and domesticated ungulates known from the sampling site, and included blue wildebeest, plains zebra, and domestic cattle and goat. Four dung beetle samples yielded sufficient sequence data to successfully assemble the near-complete mitogenome of blue wildebeest at up to 21 X mean coverage, despite low initial DNA concentrations, unambiguously corroborating identification.It is conceptually and practically possible to rapidly and economically apply metagenomic techniques in dung beetle gut sequencing to detect the presence of mammals upon whose dung the beetles have fed. Since the approach can be readily scaled up, it may prove to be of practical use as a complement to traditional biodiversity assessment methods, and should be tested in usefulness for detecting rare, endangered or cryptic mammal species.

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