Effects of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) on seeds dispersed by howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) in the French Guianan rain forest

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Feer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Alouatta Seniculus ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Howler Monkeys ◽  
Germination Success

The dispersal of seeds by howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) and the role of dung beetles in determining the fate of the dispersed seeds were studied at Nouragues Station, French Guiana, during three 2-mo periods (April–May, 1995–97). Howler monkeys were observed to disperse seeds of 47 plant species. Monkey dung attracted 57 species of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae), including tunnellers (maximum size 37 mm) and ball rollers (12.6 mm). The rate of seed burial was negatively correlated with seed size (10 plant species) and positively correlated with dung beetle size (six species of tunnellers). More than 80% of small seeds (< 5 mm) and 30% of large seeds (22 mm), were buried by the largest tunnellers. Dung beetles buried 13 to 23% of seeds ranging 8–13 mm in width. The maximum average depth of burial was 28 cm and varied according to the species of dung beetle. The rate of disappearance of large dung clumps varied during the day and was completed by nocturnal dung beetles. Seeds of Chrysophyllum lucentifolium (Sapotaceae) buried at 5 and 10 cm depths did not suffer predation, but showed low germination success compared to seeds left at the soil surface. Dung beetles affected the survival and distribution of a portion of the seeds dispersed by monkeys, and their relative importance in shaping seed fate depended on seed and beetle size.

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

Forests ◽  
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.

Short-term post-dispersal fate of seeds defecated by two small primate species (Saguinus mystaxandSaguinus fuscicollis) in the Amazonian forest of Peru

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Culot ◽  
Marie-Claude Huynen ◽  
Paul Gérard ◽  
Eckhard W. Heymann
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Amazonian Forest ◽  
Saguinus Fuscicollis ◽  
High Quality Seed ◽  
Secondary Seed Dispersal

Abstract:Post-dispersal fate of seeds dispersed by large primates is well studied but little is known about this process in small frugivores like tamarins. This study in the Amazonian forest of Peru aimed at investigating if characteristics related to the defecation patterns of tamarins (Saguinus mystaxandSaguinus fuscicollis) affected short-term post-dispersal seed fate, through secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles and removal by seed predators. Data on dung beetle activity were based on direct observations of 49 defecations while seed fate was studied using semi-controlled experiments (N = 458 for secondary dispersal and N = 398 for predation). Tamarins produce small defecations with a low number of seeds. Thirty-five per cent of defecations were visited by an average of 1.5 dung beetles that usually transport the faeces as pellets. Twenty-four per cent of seeds were buried by beetles at a mean depth of 3.5 cm. With increasing quantities of faecal matter, the probability of secondary seed dispersal increased but not the depth of burial. Seed predation pressure was low (17.6%) after 4 d and higher in faeces ofS. mystaxthan in faeces ofS. fuscicollis. Despite their small size, tamarins could be considered as high-quality seed dispersers, with a potential role for forest regeneration.

Secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles in a Colombian rain forest: effects of dung type and defecation pattern on seed fate

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Santos-Heredia ◽  
Ellen Andresen ◽  
Diego A. Zárate
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Separate Experiment ◽  
Alouatta Seniculus ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Horizontal Movement ◽  
Burial Rates ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Secondary Seed Dispersal

Abstract:In rain forests the fate of seeds defecated by mammals is often affected by dung beetles, but these effects can vary with mammal species. In a Colombian forest, differences in Scarabaeinae assemblages attracted to spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) and howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) defecations were assessed. In total, 791 beetles of 35 species were captured. Mean number of individuals was similar for both dung types; mean number of species was higher forAlouattatraps. The effects of dung type (Alouattavs.Ateles) and defecation pattern (clumped vs. scattered) on the fate of 220Rollinia edulis(Annonaceae) seeds were determined. Burial by beetles occurred for 61% of the seeds (mean depth 2.6 cm). Seeds inAlouattadung and in clumped defecations had higher burial rates. Horizontal movement (mean 11 cm) occurred for 80% of the seeds; no significant effects of experimental factors were detected. Survival was higher for buried vs. surface seeds. In a separate experiment, no differences were detected between dung types in the proportion of seeds buried by beetles. Changes in dung texture might have been responsible for the contrasting results. When assessing the effectiveness of an endozoochorous plant–mammal interaction, secondary dispersal by dung beetles should be addressed too.

scholarly journals The role of the sun in the celestial compass of dung beetles

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1636) ◽  
pp. 20130036 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dacke ◽  
Basil el Jundi ◽  
Jochen Smolka ◽  
Marcus Byrne ◽  
Emily Baird
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Relative Influence ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Azimuthal Position ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Celestial Compass ◽  
Compass System

Recent research has focused on the different types of compass cues available to ball-rolling beetles for orientation, but little is known about the relative precision of each of these cues and how they interact. In this study, we find that the absolute orientation error of the celestial compass of the day-active dung beetle Scarabaeus lamarcki doubles from 16° at solar elevations below 60° to an error of 29° at solar elevations above 75°. As ball-rolling dung beetles rely solely on celestial compass cues for their orientation, these insects experience a large decrease in orientation precision towards the middle of the day. We also find that in the compass system of dung beetles, the solar cues and the skylight cues are used together and share the control of orientation behaviour. Finally, we demonstrate that the relative influence of the azimuthal position of the sun for straight-line orientation decreases as the sun draws closer to the horizon. In conclusion, ball-rolling dung beetles possess a dynamic celestial compass system in which the orientation precision and the relative influence of the solar compass cues change over the course of the day.

scholarly journals Revisiting spatial and temporal patterns of dung beetles in Brazilian Pampa: the role of β-diversity process-related components

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Giovâni da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Species Turnover ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Dissimilarity Coefficient ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Forest Ecotone

β-diversity is a key measure to understand biodiversity patterns across spatial and temporal scales. In this study, two published datasets on dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) from Brazilian Pampa are re-analyzed aiming to investigate the role of β-diversity process-related components based on composition- and abundance-based approaches for both spatial (grassland-forest ecotone) and temporal (samplings along a year) scales. Dung beetles were sampled in a grassland-forest ecotone in October 2006 and in a grassland area monthly during an entire year (December 2006 to November 2007), using baited pitfall traps. β-diversity was decomposed into turnover and nestedness-resultant components based on Jaccard dissimilarity coefficient, and also into balanced variation in abundance and abundance gradients based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficient. Both environmental (spatial scale) and climatic (temporal scale) differences affected dung beetles similarly in terms of species replacement and nestedness patterns, and similarly in terms of variation in abundance and abundance gradients. For both spatial and temporal approach, the species turnover and the variation in species abundances were higher, while nestedness patterns and abundance gradients were of minor relative importance.

scholarly journals Physiological dormancy broken by endozoochory: Austral parakeets (Enicognathus ferrugineus) as legitimate dispersers of calafate (Berberis microphylla) in the Patagonian Andes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 538-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Bravo ◽  
Daniel Chamorro ◽  
Fernando Hiraldo ◽  
Karina Speziale ◽  
Sergio A Lambertucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Faecal Matter ◽  
Mutualistic Interaction ◽  
Physiological Dormancy ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Germination Success ◽  
Patagonian Andes ◽  
Faecal Extract

Abstract Aims Seed dispersal by endozoochory is an important process in plant regeneration and the establishment of new populations. Seeds with dormancy may especially benefit after disperser gut passage. However, the ways in which gut passage affect the germination of plant species with physiological dormancy remain unclear. Here, we experimentally assessed the mutualistic interaction between the Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) as a disperser of calafate (Berberis microphylla), a thorny bush inhabiting the understory of the Austral temperate forests of South America with seeds that are characterized by deep physiological dormancy. Methods Germination success and viability of calafate seeds obtained from faeces and from intact fruits were tested under four treatments: (i) digested seeds, (ii) digested seeds with faecal extract, (iii) intact seeds from fruit and (iv) intact seeds from fruit with pulp. Important Findings About 65% of the Austral parakeet droppings contained calafate seeds. Viability of seeds did not differ between treatments. However, germination was significantly higher in digested seeds than in intact seeds from fruits, while no difference was found between faecal and pulp extracts. Neither faecal matter nor fruit pulp provided seeds with any ecological advantages derived from enhancing germinability, but did confer some disadvantage in germination time. Faecal matter is expected to be completely lacking around seeds after several months under snow before germinating in the following spring, given intense washing due to persistent rain and the spring thaw in the Patagonian Andes. The higher germinability along with faster germination of digested seeds supports the hypothesis of a legitimate mutualistic interaction between Austral parakeets and calafate. We hypothesized that the passage through the disperser digestive tract might break physiological dormancy as differences in germinability between ingested and non-ingested seeds. Our results highlight the relevant role of endozoochory in plant species with physiological dormancy living in highly seasonal environments.

Quantification of four different post-dispersal seed deposition patterns after dung beetle activity

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 407-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Braga ◽  
R. Carvalho ◽  
E. Andresen ◽  
D. V. Anjos ◽  
E. Alves-Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Size ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Deposition Condition ◽  
Deposition Patterns ◽  
Loose Soil ◽  
Amazonian Rain Forest ◽  
Seed Deposition

Abstract:Primary seed dispersal of many rain-forest seeds occurs through defecation by mammals. Dung beetles are attracted to the defecations and through their dung-processing behaviour these insects change the initial pattern of seed deposition. Final seed deposition patterns, i.e. where and how seeds are deposited after dung beetle activity has taken place, may strongly depend on seed size. In this study we addressed the following question: Do different sizes of seeds have different deposition patterns following dung beetle processing? We conducted a field experiment in lowland Amazonian rain forest in Brazil using 200-g dung-piles containing seed mimics of three sizes: 3.5, 8.6 and 15.5 mm long. Seed deposition condition after dung beetle activity was dependent on seed size. Small seeds were more often buried in beetle tunnels, while medium and large seeds more often remained on the soil surface, either clean or still covered by dung. A low proportion of seeds of all sizes remained on the soil surface covered by loose soil excavated by dung beetles. We speculate that the latter deposition pattern, though not very frequent, might be highly favourable for both seed survival and seedling establishment.

Dung beetles as secondary seed dispersers: impact on seed predation and germination

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
VIRGINIA E. SHEPHERD ◽  
COLIN A. CHAPMAN
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Seed Survival ◽  
Profound Influence ◽  
Seed Mortality ◽  
Germination Success ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
High Predation ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Dispersal Events

Dispersal of seeds away from the parent plant may facilitate escape from density-dependent seed mortality. However, many post-dispersal events can have a profound influence on the survival of dispersed seeds. By incorporating seeds in the dung that dung beetles process for consumption and oviposition, dung beetles could enhance seed survival if they remove seeds from areas of high predation risk and place them in locations that avoid subsequent predation and that are suitable for germination. The role of dung beetles in seed survival was investigated over 15 mo in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Depths of seeds buried by beetles, levels of predation on buried and unburied seeds, and germination success of seeds buried to different depths were examined. Results suggest that by burying seeds dung beetles increase the probability that seeds will escape predation and germinate. Of seeds placed in dungpiles, 69% remained at the surface, while 25% were buried from 1–3 cm in depth. Larger seeds were buried more shallowly than smaller seeds. Buried seeds were less likely to be removed by predators than seeds at the surface. Germination of seeds buried at 1- and 3-cm depths was significantly higher than seeds buried at 10 cm. For the species tested, many seeds were buried by dung beetles between 1 and 3 cm and at this depth there was a high probability of escaping predators and germinating. This demonstrates the potential ecological importance of dung beetles in facilitating seed survival and provides data to consider the role of dung beetles in the evolution of seed attributes.

Effects of dung presence, dung amount and secondary dispersal by dung beetles on the fate of Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae) seeds in Central Amazonia

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELLEN ANDRESEN
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Tropical Plants ◽  
Initial Seed ◽  
Seed Fates

The study of seed fate is crucial for understanding fruit-frugivore interactions. One factor that can greatly influence the fate of seeds dispersed through mammal defecation, is the dung that accompanies the seeds. Dung attracts dung beetles and rodents; the former eat and bury dung, the latter feed on seeds. In this study the fate of Micropholis guyanensis subsp. guyanensis seeds surrounded by no dung and by 5, 10 and 25 g of howler monkey dung was followed until seedling establishment. The depths at which dung beetles bury the seeds were measured, and the effect of burial depth on seedling emergence was determined. Although initial seed fates differed among treatments, the same percentage of seedlings established from seeds without faecal material, and from seeds with 5, 10 and 25 g of dung. However, a significantly higher proportion of seedlings established from buried seeds when compared to seeds that remained on the surface. The percentage of seedlings establishing in a controlled germination experiment decreased significantly with increasing burial depth. The effect of dung beetle activity should be taken into consideration when assessing the role that mammal endozoochory plays on seed dispersal ecology of tropical plants. These results provide further evidence for the emerging realization that the study of secondary seed dispersal and post-dispersal events is crucial for a more complete understanding of plant regeneration.

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