scholarly journals Peer Review #2 of "Mechanisms of diversity maintenance in dung beetle assemblages in a heterogeneous tropical landscape (v0.1)"

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Diversity Maintenance ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Tropical Landscape

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.

Conversion of Cerrado savannas into exotic pastures: The relative importance of vegetation and food resources for dung beetle assemblages

2020 ◽  
Vol 288 ◽  
pp. 106709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renan Macedo ◽  
Livia Dorneles Audino ◽  
Vanesca Korasaki ◽  
Julio Louzada
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Beetle Assemblages
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