scholarly journals Effects of Land-Use Change on the Community Structure of the Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) in an Altered Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Vinicio Carrión-Paladines ◽  
Andreas Fries ◽  
Andrés Muñoz ◽  
Eddy Castillo ◽  
Roberto García-Ruiz ◽  
...  

This study evaluated the effects of land-use change (L-UCH) on dung beetle community structure (Scarabaeinae) in a disturbed dry ecosystem in southern Ecuador. Five different L-UCH classes were analyzed by capturing the dung beetle species at each site using 120 pitfall traps in total. To determine dung beetle abundance and diversity at each L-UCH, a general linear model (GLM) and a redundancy analysis (RDA) were applied, which correlated environmental and edaphic conditions to the community structure. Furthermore, changes in dung-producing vertebrate fauna were examined, which varied significantly between the different L-UCH classes due to the specific anthropogenic use or level of ecosystem disturbance. The results indicated that soil organic matter, pH, potassium, and phosphorus (RDA: component 1), as well as temperature and altitude (RDA: component 2) significantly affect the abundance of beetles (GLM: p value < 0.001), besides the food availability (dung). The highest abundance and diversity (Simpson’s index > 0.4, Shannon-Wiener index > 1.10) was found in highly disturbed sites, where soils were generally more compacted, but with a greater food supply due to the introduced farm animals. At highly disturbed sites, the species Canthon balteatus, Dichotomius problematicus, and Onthphagus confuses were found specifically, which makes them useful as bio-indicators for disturbed dry forest ecosystems in southern Ecuador.

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 797-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania M. Kenyon ◽  
Margaret M. Mayfield ◽  
Geoff B. Monteith ◽  
Rosa Menéndez

Author(s):  
Elle M. Barnes ◽  
Steve Kutos ◽  
Nina Naghshineh ◽  
Marissa Mesko ◽  
Qing You ◽  
...  

CATENA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 177 ◽  
pp. 180-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiane Pereira Machado Dias ◽  
Rodrigo Hübner ◽  
Flávia de Jesus Nunes ◽  
Wilson Mozena Leandro ◽  
Francisco Alisson da Silva Xavier

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Oleson ◽  
G. B. Bonan ◽  
S. Levis ◽  
M. Vertenstein

Author(s):  
Kelsey Watts

Soils play a critical role to society as a medium that facilitates crop production and also contributes to the energy and carbon balance of the Earth System. Land-use change and improper land-use is one of the dominant factors affecting soil erosion and nutrient loss in soils. We examined the effects of land-use change on an Elmbrook clay/clay-loam soil on a farm in Ameliasburg on the northern part of Prince Edward County. Three cover types were examined: a sod field (established for over 10 years), a wheat field (part of a wheat/corn/soybean rotation for 30 years) and an undisturbed deciduous forest. Under each land-use type, cores to a depth of 40 cm were collected along three random 30 m transects (at 8, 16 and 24 m), then divided them into 10 cm increments, combining all similar depth increments along one transect. Soil quality was assessed by analyzing various soil physical and chemical properties. Bulk density of the soil was much higher (1.55 vs. 0.95 g/cm3) in both agricultural ecosystems compared to the forest, but only in the 0-10 cm layer. Soil moisture at 60% water holding capacity was much greater for the forest than the sod and wheat soils. Soil pH was slightly lower in the forest compared to the sod and wheat fields. The sod and wheat fields showed losses of ~52% and ~53% organic matter, respectively, in contrast to the forested area. The greatest differences in organic matter and total carbon were found in the top 10 cm, likely due to the greater accumulation of litter at the ground surface in the forest compared to the agricultural sites. It appears that long-term (10 year) agricultural production has led to a decline in some, but not all, soil quality measures, particularly soil organic matter, bulk density and water holding capacity. These findings are consistent with much of the literature concerning the effects of land-use change on soil quality, and highlight the need to develop improved management systems to minimize losses in soil quality that can lead to declines in the productivity potential of soils over time.


2018 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. 1394-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Sun ◽  
Hong Yang ◽  
Dexin Guan ◽  
Ming Yang ◽  
Jiabing Wu ◽  
...  

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