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Perri DV, Hurtado SI, Bruzzone O, Easdale MH. A Key Interaction Behind the Scenes: Dung Beetles in Livestock Production from Arid and Semi-Arid Rangelands. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 53:469-479. [PMID: 38347319 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-024-01131-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Pastoralism is a dominant agricultural activity in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The interaction between coprophagous insects and livestock is a key but an undervalued topic in rangeland management decisions. The objective was to identify similarities and differences in the composition of coprophagous insects and nesting strategies, associated with different climatic conditions within these regions. We performed a literature review of research articles available in the Scopus database which resulted in 17 articles. We examined the taxonomic diversity of dung beetles and their nesting strategies in relation to temperature and precipitation at the study sites. Results revealed a rich and varied interaction between dung beetles and livestock in arid and semi-arid environments, with 364 species from the Scarabaeoidea superfamily documented worldwide. The greatest diversity of dung beetles was reported in hot arid and semi-arid conditions with dry winters and in cold semi-arid ones with no marked annual precipitation cycle. These insects displayed diverse nesting strategies, with endocoprid strategies predominating in colder and drier settings, and paracoprid and telecoprid strategies in warmer, more humid environments. Domestic animal species are currently key components in promoting this interaction, which indicates that the ecological processes involving coprophagous fauna are occurring in production systems, which are under the influence of human decisions. We discuss the design and planning of livestock and rangeland management in arid and semi-arid environments, emphasizing in a more formalized manner the inclusion of this kind of interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiana V Perri
- Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche - IFAB (INTA-CONICET), Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.
| | - Santiago I Hurtado
- Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche - IFAB (INTA-CONICET), Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Octavio Bruzzone
- Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche - IFAB (INTA-CONICET), Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Marcos H Easdale
- Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche - IFAB (INTA-CONICET), Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
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Veryard R, Wu J, O’Brien MJ, Anthony R, Both S, Burslem DF, Chen B, Fernandez-Miranda Cagigal E, Godfray HCJ, Godoong E, Liang S, Saner P, Schmid B, Sau Wai Y, Xie J, Reynolds G, Hector A. Positive effects of tree diversity on tropical forest restoration in a field-scale experiment. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf0938. [PMID: 37713486 PMCID: PMC10846868 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf0938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Experiments under controlled conditions have established that ecosystem functioning is generally positively related to levels of biodiversity, but it is unclear how widespread these effects are in real-world settings and whether they can be harnessed for ecosystem restoration. We used remote-sensing data from the first decade of a long-term, field-scale tropical restoration experiment initiated in 2002 to test how the diversity of planted trees affected recovery of a 500-ha area of selectively logged forest measured using multiple sources of satellite data. Replanting using species-rich mixtures of tree seedlings with higher phylogenetic and functional diversity accelerated restoration of remotely sensed estimates of aboveground biomass, canopy cover, and leaf area index. Our results are consistent with a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the lowland dipterocarp rainforests of SE Asia and demonstrate that using diverse mixtures of species can enhance their initial recovery after logging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Veryard
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Jinhui Wu
- China Institute of Geo-Environment Monitoring, China Geological Survey, Beijing, China
| | - Michael J. O’Brien
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, E-04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Rosila Anthony
- Sabah Forestry Department, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Sabine Both
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351 Australia
| | - David F.R.P. Burslem
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St Machar Drives, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK
| | - Bin Chen
- Division of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | | | | | - Elia Godoong
- Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Shunlin Liang
- Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Philippe Saner
- Rhino and Forest Fund e.V., Auf dem Stein 2, D-77694 Kehl, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yap Sau Wai
- Conservation and Environmental Management Division, Yayasan Sabah Group, 88817 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Jun Xie
- Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- The South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), Danum Valley Field Centre, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK
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Pessôa MB, Souza do Amaral T, De Marco Júnior P, Hortal J. Forest conversion into pasture selects dung beetle traits at different biological scales depending on species pool composition. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9950. [PMID: 37113519 PMCID: PMC10126313 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The conversion of forests into open areas has large effects on the diversity and structure of native communities. The intensity of these effects may vary between regions, depending on the existence of native species adapted to open habitats in the regional pool or the time since habitat change.We assess the differences in species richness and functional diversity of dung beetle communities (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) between native forests and novel pasturelands of the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, two biomes with contrasting histories of human occupation in Brazil. We conducted standardized surveys in seven forest fragments and adjacent pastures in each region and measured 14 traits in individuals collected in each type of habitat at each particular site. We calculated functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and community-weighted mean of traits for each area, and analyzed individual variation through nested variance decomposition and Trait Statistics.Communities were richer and more numerous at the Cerrado. We did not find any consistent relationship between functional diversity and forest conversion beyond the changes in species diversity. Although landscape changes were more recent at the Cerrado, the colonization of the new habitat by native species already adapted to open habitats lessens the functional loss in this biome. This indicates that habitat change's effects on trait diversity depend on the regional species pool rather than on time since land conversion.Forest conversion effects were primarily due to internal filtering. The effects of external filtering only appear at the intraspecific variance level, with contrasting differences between the Cerrado, where traits related to relocation behavior and size are selected, and the Atlantic Forest, where selection operates for traits related to relocation behavior and flight. These results evidence the importance of considering individual variance to address the responses of dung beetle communities to forest conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Bruno Pessôa
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de GoiásAvenida Esperança s/n, Campus Samambaia, ICB 5CEP 74690‐900GoiâniaBrazil
- Laboratório de EntomologiaUniversidade Federal de Mato Grosso do SulCâmpus de Chapadão do Sul – Rod MS 306, Km 105CEP 79560‐000Chapadão do SulBrazil
| | - Tatiana Souza do Amaral
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de GoiásAvenida Esperança s/n, Campus Samambaia, ICB 5CEP 74690‐900GoiâniaBrazil
- Laboratório de EntomologiaUniversidade Federal de Mato Grosso do SulCâmpus de Chapadão do Sul – Rod MS 306, Km 105CEP 79560‐000Chapadão do SulBrazil
| | - Paulo De Marco Júnior
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de GoiásAvenida Esperança s/n, Campus Samambaia, ICB 5CEP 74690‐900GoiâniaBrazil
| | - Joaquín Hortal
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de GoiásAvenida Esperança s/n, Campus Samambaia, ICB 5CEP 74690‐900GoiâniaBrazil
- Department of Biogeography and Global ChangeMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC)C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 228006MadridSpain
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Young K, Tsalickis A, Sheehan TN, Klepzig KD, Caterino MS, Hartshorn JA. Dung Beetle Community Composition in the Presence and Absence of Mesopredators in a Longleaf Pine Forest. SOUTHEAST NAT 2023. [DOI: 10.1656/058.022.0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Chowdhury S, Jennions MD, Zalucki MP, Maron M, Watson JEM, Fuller RA. Protected areas and the future of insect conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:85-95. [PMID: 36208964 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic pressures are driving insect declines across the world. Although protected areas (PAs) play a prominent role in safeguarding many vertebrate species from human-induced threats, insects are not widely considered when designing PA systems or building strategies for PA management. We review the effectiveness of PAs for insect conservation and find substantial taxonomic and geographic gaps in knowledge. Most research focuses on the representation of species, and few studies assess threats to insects or the role that effective PA management can play in insect conservation. We propose a four-step research agenda to help ensure that insects are central in efforts to expand the global PA network under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawan Chowdhury
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, 07743 Jena, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Department of Ecosystem Services, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Myron P Zalucki
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Martine Maron
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Richard A Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Dung beetles prefer used land over natural greenspace in urban landscape. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22179. [PMID: 36564513 PMCID: PMC9789146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26841-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization drives land-use and patterns of biodiversity. Yet, very little is known about how biodiversity of structurally different habitats is responded to urbanization. We surveyed coprophagous dung beetles and their ecological functional groups-tunnellers, dwellers, and rollers-in shaded natural semi-evergreen forests of sacred groves and the neighbouring relatively open home gardens of sites that represent three levels of urbanization to address the following questions: (1) Do sacred groves have higher abundance, richness, and diversity of dung beetles than home gardens? (2) Is urbanization a key driver of dung beetle abundance, richness, diversity, and community? (3) Is dung beetle assemblage of sacred groves immune to urbanization? and (4) Which ecological functional groups of dung beetles are affected by urbanization? We hypothesized that the sacred groves have a distinct community, resulting in higher abundance, richness, and diversity of dung beetles than home gardens, and the dung beetle assemblage of sacred groves may be immune to urbanization. We sampled the beetles during wet and dry periods using cow dung as a bait. Against our predictions, dung beetle abundance, richness, and diversity were higher in used lands than sacred groves, particularly in urban landscapes. The two habitats had distinct compositions of dung beetles. Tunnellers and rollers were affected by urbanization, but not dwellers. Heliophilic and synanthropic species characterized by smaller species dominated overall catches in the used lands of urban areas. Results downplay sacred grove as a potential refuge for dung beetles and suggest that the biodiversity of native forests may be affected more by urbanization than the manipulated anthropogenic habitats.
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Villamarin-Cortez S, Hankin L, Coronado S, Macdonald J, Noriega JA. Diversity and distribution patterns of Ecuador’s dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1008477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionEcuador harbors an astounding number of ecosystems and species. However, anthropogenic land-use changes are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss in major taxonomic groups, especially insects. Among them, the Scarabaeinae subfamily containing dung beetles, is an excellent taxon for studying taxonomic and functional diversity, as they are relatively stable taxonomically and have a wide variety of ecological services. Their distribution is mainly influenced by biogeography and climate as their main ecological and environmental factors will allow us to quantify what aspects of diversity are being impacted under different circumstances and at different scales.MethodsTo understand the main of dung beetle distribution drivers, we analyzed a museum database from the National Institute of Biodiversity, Ecuador (INABIO) of over 5000 dung beetle specimens with 122 species collected throughout the country, we addressed the following questions: i) How does tribe distribution vary across climatic and elevational gradients? and ii) How does functional and taxonomic beta diversity vary across spatial scales? To address them, we focused on three main tribes: Canthonini, Coprini, and Phanaeini. We constructed GLM’s and niche-based models to estimate Ecuador’s distributions based on climate variables to explore potential predictor variables, using tree classification models, along with taxonomic and functional beta diversity across scales.ResultsThe main variables influencing dung beetle distribution were elevation, and precipitation. The Phanaeini niche model is significantly better at predicting dung beetle presence throughout Ecuador than Canthonini and Coprini. We found high turnover in functional groups at larger scales, suggesting that dung beetles show high levels of habitat specialization, which associates to our findings where taxonomic beta diversity was higher in the Amazon basin compared to the coastal region. This may be due to the higher rate of dung production in Amazonia. Our findings also suggest that dung beetles are not found in areas above 2000m, mainly because dung beetles are well adapted to warmer and moist climatic regions. Precipitation and elevation are consistently essential variables for predicting Canthonini and Coprini presence, while temperature explains Phanaeini presence. Low levels of species turnover at the regional scale may be because the total species richness in Ecuador is different, where divergence in taxonomic beta diversity between the two regions is an artifact of such differences in richness in Amazonia versus the coast, the distinction is also due to nonrandomly low taxonomic beta diversity levels in the coastal region.ConclusionsOur results provide an essential framework for evaluating potential dung beetle habitat and diversity at different scales; therefore, by identifying dung beetles’ diversity, combined with considerations of habitat fragmentation, human land-use alteration, and climate change, will be an important next step to inform better and prioritize dung beetle conservation efforts in other countries.
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Simões-Clivatti TRO, Hernández MIM. Ecological indication metrics on dung beetles metacommunities in native forests and Pinus monocultures. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.972176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Beetles of the subfamily Scarabaeinae are commonly used as ecological indicators in studies about the effects of environmental changes. We analyzed the influence of the type of habitat, vegetation, mammals (as food resource), and temperature on dung beetle metacommunities in subtropical native forests and Pinus monocultures to evaluate the factors driving these assemblages. In the summer of 2018/2019, we sampled 12 areas in Southern Brazil, six Pinus monocultures and six native forests. We performed a dispersal test, applying a marking-recapture method. Some recaptures occurred in different habitats, showing low dispersal between habitats. We recorded behavioral activities confirming the use of both native forest and Pinus areas. The metrics did not reflect the difference in the environmental quality of the areas regarding species richness and diversity in different habitats. This shows that these metrics are not the best when using dung beetle assemblages as ecological indicators of biodiversity loss resulting from land-use changes, requiring complementing the analysis with composition analysis methods. When we partitioned beta diversity between habitats, we observed a dissimilarity between Pinus monocultures and native forest assemblages due to species substitution, with many species contributing to the dissimilarity between habitats. In our structural equation models, the influence of environmental factors on metacommunities showed no predictor related to dung beetle richness, but several variables influenced their abundance.
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Human Disturbance Affects Dung Beetle Assemblages in French Guiana Forests. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14121059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
French Guiana forests are threatened by increasing human activity such as infrastructure development, facilitating access to the forest and, therefore, logging, mining, farming and hunting. To highlight the impact of human pressure on the forest fauna, dung beetle assemblage was analyzed near Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock and compared with other sites in French Guiana, considering the distance to the main city and forest cover loss as proxies of human activities. Hill numbers and beta diversity were calculated. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and redundancy analyses were carried out to disentangle the effect of the distance to the nearest city and forest cover loss as proxies of human pressure, but also temperature and rainfall as proxies of climatic variations on dung beetle assemblage. Species richness increased significantly with the distance to the nearest city and decreasing forest cover loss. Assemblage structure varied among sites mainly with distance to the nearest city but also with rainfall. It varied also with forest cover loss, but not significantly. This study showed that human disturbances and climatic conditions, even if represented by proxies, affected dung beetle assemblage structures in French Guiana forests.
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Correa CMA, da Silva PG. Environmental drivers of taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles across a chronosequence of tropical grasslands with different cattle grazing removal ages. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- César M. A. Correa
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Entomologia Universidade Federal de Lavras Lavras 37200‐000 Brazil
- Laboratório de Scarabaeoidologia Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Pedro Giovâni da Silva
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
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Pryke JS, Roets F, Samways MJ. Large African herbivore diversity is essential in transformed landscapes for conserving dung beetle diversity. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James S. Pryke
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology Stellenbosch University Matieland South Africa
| | - Francois Roets
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology Stellenbosch University Matieland South Africa
| | - Michael J. Samways
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology Stellenbosch University Matieland South Africa
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Livestock grazing impact differently on the functional diversity of dung beetles depending on the regional context in subtropical forests. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1636. [PMID: 35102229 PMCID: PMC8803855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05616-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The replacement of native forest by cattle pastures reduces functional diversity; however, little is known about whether the changes depend on regional variation. Dung beetles are one of the most diverse and functionally important taxa; through organic matter burial, dung beetles improve soil quality. We collected dung beetles in native forests and cattle ranching areas in subtropical forests with contrasting climatic conditions: the Atlantic Forest, the Humid Chaco, and the Dry Chaco. We measured 11 traits related to the ecology and the physiology of species. Irrespectively of the region, functional richness was higher in forests (native and with cattle) when compared to open pastures. Humid forests (Atlantic Forest and Humid Chaco) showed higher functional richness than Dry Chaco. Functional dispersion in humid forests was similar between native forest and livestock systems, however, functional dispersion in the Dry Chaco was higher in open pastures compared to native forest. According to our results, native forests and forests with cattle maintain functional diversity in all regions. However, in the case of open pastures, the response depends on the regional context; the replacement of native forest by open pastures strongly affected functional diversity in humid forests and showed less impact on dry forest.
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Spatiotemporal effects on dung beetle activities in island forests-home garden matrix in a tropical village landscape. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17398. [PMID: 34462466 PMCID: PMC8405664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96831-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insects in seasonal tropics experience a wide range of temperatures along seasons, habitats, and a day. Therefore, the thermal tolerance of the insects can be a major driver for their habitat preference, temporal patterns of activity, and formation of communities. We examined the dung beetle communities of eleven pairs of neighboring open (home gardens) and closed habitats (sacred groves) during dry and wet seasons and diel periods (day and night) to understand the dung beetle activities along a spatiotemporal gradient constituted by the sacred groves-home garden matrix on a tropical village landscape. We tested the following hypotheses: (i) closed habitats have greater activities of dung beetles over open habitats; (ii) the diurnal communities of dung beetles are different from the nocturnal communities; and (iii) the diurnal-nocturnal activities of dung beetles could be predicted by the habitat and season. We considered abundance, richness, total biomass, and Shannon diversity of overall beetles, abundance of different functional groups, and species composition in communities as the quantitative measures in the predictive statistical models. In total, 2727 dung beetles belonging to 38 species, ten genera, and three functional groups were collected. The open habitat supported more number of dung beetles (N = 2318) than the closed habitat (N = 409). The diurnal communities were different from nocturnal communities, particularly in open habitat, where the temperature was different between day and night. The dominant species of the diurnal communities of open habitat hardly used the closed habitat in any context including dry-wet seasons, but the nocturnal communities of the open habitat were closer to the communities of closed habitat. The diel period and habitat predicted the abundance activity of functional groups; season was a poor predictor of dung beetle activities. Given that the species composition has turned over across habitats, and the closed habitat supported remarkably lesser number of beetles than the open habitats, the closed habitat is unlikely to be a thermal refuge for the open habitat species in village landscapes that have island forests, such as sacred groves, and home gardens form a matrix.
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Rabello AM, Parr CL, Queiroz AC, Braga DL, Santiago GS, Ribas CR. Taxonomic and functional approaches reveal different responses of ant assemblages to land-use changes. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Nunes CA, Barlow J, França F, Berenguer E, Solar RRC, Louzada J, Leitão RP, Maia LF, Oliveira VHF, Braga RF, Vaz‐de‐Mello FZ, Sayer EJ. Functional redundancy of Amazonian dung beetles confers community‐level resistance to primary forest disturbance. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cássio Alencar Nunes
- Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal de Lavras Lavras, Minas Gerais Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
| | - Jos Barlow
- Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal de Lavras Lavras, Minas Gerais Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
- MCTIC/Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Belém, Pará Brazil
| | - Filipe França
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental Belém Brazil
| | - Erika Berenguer
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
- Environmental Change Institute University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Ricardo R. C. Solar
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Julio Louzada
- Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal de Lavras Lavras, Minas Gerais Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
| | - Rafael P. Leitão
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Laís F. Maia
- Bio‐Protection Research Centre School of Biological Sciences University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand
| | - Victor H. F. Oliveira
- Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal de Lavras Lavras, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Fagundes Braga
- Unidade Divinópolis Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais Divinópolis, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Fernando Z. Vaz‐de‐Mello
- Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá, Mato Grosso Brazil
| | - Emma J. Sayer
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster, Lancashire UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Ancon, Panama City Panama
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Singh AP, De K, Uniyal VP, Sathyakumar S. An experimental study on bioturbation and dung removal activities of Catharsius molossus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the Greater Himalaya. JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC BIODIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Noriega JA, March‐Salas M, Castillo S, García‐Q H, Hortal J, Santos AMC. Human perturbations reduce dung beetle diversity and dung removal ecosystem function. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Ari Noriega
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
- Laboratory of Zoology and Aquatic Ecology LAZOEA University of Los Andes Bogotá Colombia
| | - Martí March‐Salas
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
- Escuela Internacional de Doctorado King Juan Carlos University (URJC) Madrid Spain
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Plant Evolutionary Ecology Goethe University Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | | | - Héctor García‐Q
- Herbario UTMC Universidad del Magdalena Santa Marta Colombia
| | - Joaquín Hortal
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Ana M. C. Santos
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- Global Change Ecology & Evolution (GLOCEE) Group Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida Universidad de Alcalá Madrid Spain
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG‐UAM) Departamento de Ecología Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
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Davies RW, Edwards DP, Medina-Uribe CA, Cárdenas-Bautista JS, Haugaasen T, Gilroy JJ, Edwards FA. Replacing low-intensity cattle pasture with oil palm conserves dung beetle functional diversity when paired with forest protection. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 283:112009. [PMID: 33508552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Meeting rising demand for oil palm whilst minimizing the loss of tropical biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions is a core conservation challenge. One potential solution is focusing the expansion of high-yielding crops on presently low-yielding farmlands alongside protecting nearby tropical forests that can enhance provision of ecosystem functions. A key question is how this solution would impact invertebrate functional diversity. We focus on oil palm in the Colombian Llanos, where plantations are replacing improved cattle pastures and forest fragments, and on dung beetles, which play key functional roles in nutrient cycling and secondary seed dispersal. We show that functional richness and functional diversity of dung beetles is greater in oil palm than in cattle pasture, and that functional metrics did not differ between oil palm and remnant forest. The abundance-size class profile of dung beetles in oil palm was more similar to forest than to pasture, which had lower abundances of the smallest and largest dung beetles. The abundance of tunneling and rolling dung beetles did not differ between oil palm and forest, while higher forest cover increased the abundance of diurnal and generalist-feeding beetles in oil palm landscapes. This suggests that prioritizing agricultural development on low-yielding cattle pasture will have positive effects on functional diversity and highlights the need for forest protection to maintain ecosystem functioning within agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Davies
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Claudia A Medina-Uribe
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Carrera 8 # 15-08, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Johann S Cárdenas-Bautista
- Grupo de Investigación Biodiversidad y Conservación, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia. Av. Central Del Norte # 115-39, Tunja, Boyacá, 150001, Colombia
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Felicity A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Carrión-Paladines V, Fries A, Muñoz A, Castillo E, García-Ruiz R, Marín-Armijos D. Effects of Land-Use Change on the Community Structure of the Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) in an Altered Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12040306. [PMID: 33808282 PMCID: PMC8066223 DOI: 10.3390/insects12040306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary This study analyzed the abundance and diversity of dung beetle communities at several disturbed sites in a tropical dry forest ecosystem in southern Ecuador. Dung beetle community diversity indices with different land uses were related to environmental variables (altitude, temperature), soil physicochemical properties, and food supply (manure). The results indicated that the species Canthon balteatus, Dichotomius problematicus, and Onthophagus confusus are abundant in disturbed sites, where soils are generally more compact and less fertile but contain a greater food supply. These findings can help decision makers to identify disturbed areas and to implement adequate policies for sustainable environmental management. Abstract 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio Carrión-Paladines
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 11-01-608, Ecuador; (A.M.); (D.M.-A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Andreas Fries
- Departamento de Geología, Minas e Ingeniería Civil (DGMIC), Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 11-01-608, Ecuador;
| | - Andrés Muñoz
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 11-01-608, Ecuador; (A.M.); (D.M.-A.)
| | - Eddy Castillo
- Finca de Permacultura, Finca Fina, Solanda, Vilcabamba 110161, Ecuador;
| | - Roberto García-Ruiz
- Unidad de Ecología, Departamento de Biología Animal, Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, 23071 Jaén, Spain;
| | - Diego Marín-Armijos
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 11-01-608, Ecuador; (A.M.); (D.M.-A.)
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20
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Noriega JA, Santos AMC, Calatayud J, Chozas S, Hortal J. Short- and long-term temporal changes in the assemblage structure of Amazonian dung beetles. Oecologia 2021; 195:719-736. [PMID: 33569745 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04831-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Species diversity varies in space and time. Temporal changes in the structure and dynamics of communities can occur at different scales. We investigated the temporal changes of dung beetle assemblages in the Amazonian region along seasons, years, and successional stages. We evaluated if assemblage structure changes between temporal scales and whether such changes affect the functional structure of communities. To achieve these goals, we sampled dung beetles using linear transects of baited pitfall traps during the dry and rainy seasons at two natural reserves in the Amazon region, each representing different time scales: one covering successional variations (80, 30, 5, and 1 years of recovery from logging) and the other one encompassing three consecutive years at two successional stages (20 and 10 years from logging). We used Generalized Linear Models to analyze interannual and successional changes in diversity, described assemblage structure with a NMDS, and examined compositional variation by partitioning beta diversity into its nestedness and turnover components. Abundance and richness decrease from the rainy to the dry season and towards earlier successional stages but do not differ between years. Assemblage diversity changes differently in interannual and successional scales. During succession, dung beetle assemblages change drastically, following a nested structure due to the appearance of species and functional groups in later successional stages. In contrast, functional group composition does not show consistent changes between years, displaying a turnover structure. This pattern supports non-deterministic changes in dung beetle assemblage structure along forest succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Ari Noriega
- Departament of Biogeography & Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
- Laboratory of Zoology and Aquatic Ecology - LAZOEA, University of los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Ana M C Santos
- Global Change Ecology & Evolution (GLOCEE) Group, Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Calatayud
- Departament of Biogeography & Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n., 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Chozas
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joaquín Hortal
- Departament of Biogeography & Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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21
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Greenspace sites conserve taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles in an urbanized landscape in the Brazilian Cerrado. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01093-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Sarmiento-Garcés R, Hernández MIM. A decrease in taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles impacts the ecosystem function of manure removal in altered subtropical habitats. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244783. [PMID: 33406118 PMCID: PMC7787441 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss of biodiversity-caused mainly by habitat destruction-is one of the environmental problems with major repercussions on ecosystem functioning. Nevertheless, our understanding of the functional consequences of habitat changes on the communities and ecosystems remains limited to a small number of case studies. We evaluated the change in taxonomic and functional diversity of copro-necrophagous beetles (Scarabaeinae) and their relationship with the varying environmental factors present in four habitats with different degrees of disturbance. Furthermore, we evaluated how changes in taxonomic and functional diversity affect the rates of excrement removal. The collections were carried out at four locations in the state of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil, on natural systems with different degrees of disturbances (forests in advanced and initial succession) and agroecosystems (silviculture and pastures dedicated to livestock). We collected a total of 1266 dung beetles distributed in 35 species and classified into 11 functional groups. The taxonomic and functional diversity analyses showed that habitats that still maintain an arboreal stratum do not present differences between them, in contrast to habitats dedicated to livestock where there was a significant loss of species and functional groups. The distance between the trees, as well as the air and soil temperatures were determining factors in the selection of species and functional groups. Some of these environmental factors explain the differences in functional traits, represented as varying abundances of the species found. The rates of manure removal from the ecosystem were positively correlated to taxonomic and functional richness as well as biomass of beetles. Thus, we can conclude that habitats with tree strata have the capacity to preserve a larger proportion of the regional set of species as well as the important ones, while preserving the taxonomic and functional diversity and the ecosystem functions, such as the excrement removal rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Sarmiento-Garcés
- Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil
| | - Malva Isabel Medina Hernández
- Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil
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23
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Freitas PV, Montag LFA, Ilha P, Torres NR, Maia C, Deegan L, Nascimento AT, Silva KD. Local effects of deforestation on stream fish assemblages in the amazon-savannah transitional area. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The expansion of agriculture in the southeast Amazon-Savanah transitional area has greatly decreased forest cover and influenced stream structure and functioning. We assessed the effects of forest cover loss on the integrity of streams by assessing stream physical conditions and the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages in this transitional area. We hypothesize that low forest cover, especially adjacent to streams, results in poor physical conditions (e.g., warmer temperatures, less physical structure, etc.), which in turn will decrease the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages. We detected that loss of forest cover negatively affects natural stream conditions and reduces the functional diversity of fish assemblages, but we did not find a strong effect on taxonomic diversity. Ambush and stalking predators, diurnal surface pickers (groups that exhibit opportunistic life history strategies), grazers, pickers, and browsers (groups that exhibit equilibrium life history strategies) were the functional groups with the strongest relation to altered environments. These groups can explore different niches, both with natural characteristics or altered by human activities. Our results suggest that the preservation of riparian zones can minimize the loss of specialized fish species in assemblages of Amazon-Savannah stream systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pâmela V. Freitas
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Brazil
| | | | - Paulo Ilha
- Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Brazil
| | - Naiara R. Torres
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil
| | - Calebe Maia
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Brazil
| | | | | | - Karina Dias Silva
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil
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24
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Correa CMA, Puker A, Abot AR. Impacts of Exotic Pasture Establishment on Dung Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Brazilian Cerrado. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:1335-1344. [PMID: 33159442 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Brazilian Cerrado is the second largest Neotropical biome and an important hotspot of biodiversity. However, land use change in this ecosystem is producing landscapes with modified natural environments and anthropogenic environments, such as exotic pastures. In this study, we evaluated how conversion of native Cerrado vegetation to exotic pastures affects the dung beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). We sampled dung beetles in four areas of Cerrado (sensu stricto) and in four areas of exotic pastures (Urochloa spp.) in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In all, 7,544 individuals from 43 species of dung beetles were collected, and 19 species were found in both the Cerrado and exotic pastures. The abundance and species richness of dung beetles were higher in Cerrado remnants. Species composition differed between Cerrado and exotic pastures, where 11 species were classified as specialists of Cerrado, 10 species were considered specialists of exotic pastures, and 6 species were habitat generalists. Roller beetles were most negatively affected by exotic pasture establishment. We demonstrated that exotic pasture establishment has a negative impact on dung beetle assemblages in Brazilian Cerrado. The decline in abundance and richness of roller beetles has important implications for the understanding of ecosystem functioning because it can reduce the ecological functions performed by dung beetle assemblages in exotic pastures. Finally, the high number of dung beetle species shared between Cerrado and exotic pastures suggests that the Cerrado remnants is a fundamental requirement for the conservation of biodiversity of dung beetles in exotic pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado.
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Affiliation(s)
- César M A Correa
- Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Anderson Puker
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia, Colorado do Oeste, Rondônia, Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso, Guarantã do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Alfredo R Abot
- Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
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25
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Ferreira KR, Puker A, Correa CMA. The Attraction of Amazonian Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) to the Feces of Omnivorous Mammals Is Dependent on Their Diet: Implications for Ecological Monitoring. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:1383-1392. [PMID: 32960219 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The immense sampling effort used in ecological research on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) has required large amounts of human feces to conduct experiments in the field. Thus, the amount of human feces available can be an important limiting factor for research. Therefore, dung from large omnivorous mammals, such as pig, has been used to reduce this limitation. Here, we evaluated how the type of diet can influence the attractiveness of omnivorous-mammal feces to Amazonian dung beetles. We sampled dung beetles in 10 fragments of Amazon rainforest in July 2018 (dry season) and March 2019 (rainy season), using pitfall traps baited with swill pig dung (household waste-based diet), grain pig dung (maize+soybean-based diet), and human feces (control) in Juína, Mato Grosso, Brazil. In all, 2,080 individuals from 51 species of dung beetles were collected. Between the pig dung evaluated, higher total abundance and species richness was captured with grain pig dung. However, the species composition and community structure were similar between pig dung types. Additionally, grain pig dung captured total species richness, species composition, and structure similar to that for human feces. Thus, although grain pig dung did not sample total abundance similar to human feces, this type of dung can be efficient for an accurate survey of the total species richness, species composition, and structure of dung beetles in the Amazon rainforest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kleyton R Ferreira
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso, Juína, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Anderson Puker
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso, Guarantã do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - César M A Correa
- Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
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26
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Bełcik M, Lenda M, Amano T, Skórka P. Different response of the taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of birds to forest fragmentation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20320. [PMID: 33230280 PMCID: PMC7683534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76917-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is considered as major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Biodiversity can be described as taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. However, the effect of forest fragmentation on taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity is barely understood. We compare the response of taxonomic (species richness), phylogenetic and functional diversity of birds to forest fragmentation. We hypothesised that with increasing forest patch isolation and/or decreasing patch size the diversity of birds decreases but only if certain thresholds of fragmentation metrics are reached. Specifically, we hypothesized that out of the three diversity components the taxonomic diversity is the most sensitive to forest fragmentation, which means that it starts declining at larger patch size and higher connectivity values than phylogenetic and functional diversity do. We compared the three biodiversity metrics of central European bird species in a large set of forest patches located in an agricultural landscape. General additive modeling and segmented regression were used in analyses. Habitat fragmentation differentially affected studied biodiversity metrics. Bird taxonomic diversity was the most responsive towards changes in fragmentation. We observed an increase in taxonomic diversity with increasing patch area, which then stabilized after reaching certain patch size. Functional diversity turned out to be the least responsive to the fragmentation metrics and forest stand characteristics. It decreased linearly with the decreasing isolation of forest patches. Apart from the habitat fragmentation, bird taxonomic diversity but not phylogenetic diversity was positively associated with forest stand age. The lower share of dominant tree species, the highest taxonomic diversity was. While preserving a whole spectrum of forests (in terms of age, fragmentation and size) is important from the biodiversity perspective, forest bird species might need large, intact, old-growth forests. Since the large and intact forest becomes scarcer, our study underscore their importance for the preservation of forest specialist species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bełcik
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Lenda
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Piotr Skórka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
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27
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Correa CM, Da Silva PG, Puker A, Abot AR. Spatiotemporal patterns of taxonomic and functional β‐diversity of dung beetles in native and introduced pastures in the Brazilian Pantanal. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- César M.A. Correa
- Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul Aquidauana Mato Grosso do Sul79200‐000Brazil
| | - Pedro G. Da Silva
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Minas GeraisBrazil
| | - Anderson Puker
- Instituto Federal de EducaçãoCiência e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso Guarantã do Norte Mato GrossoBrazil
- Instituto Federal de EducaçãoCiência e Tecnologia de Rondônia Colorado do Oeste, Guarantã do NorteRondônia Brazil
| | - Alfredo R. Abot
- Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul Aquidauana Mato Grosso do Sul79200‐000Brazil
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28
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Malloch B, Tatsumi S, Seibold S, Cadotte MW, MacIvor JS. Urbanization and plant invasion alter the structure of litter microarthropod communities. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2496-2507. [PMID: 32745261 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activity underpins the creation of urban ecosystems, often with introduced or invasive species playing a large role in structuring ecological communities. While the effects of urbanization on charismatic taxa such as birds, bees or butterflies have received much attention, the impacts on small and inconspicuous organisms remain poorly understood. Here, we assess how the community structure of leaf litter-inhabiting microarthropods in city parks varies along an urbanization gradient in Toronto, Canada. At each park, we established paired forest understorey plots which were either dominated by native vegetation or dog-strangling vine Vincetoxicum rossicum, an invasive species that is spreading throughout northeastern North America and abundant in urban areas. We compared microarthropod richness, abundance and diversity in ecological traits between invaded and non-invaded plots as well as compositional dissimilarities among plots across the urbanization gradient. We recorded 123 genera and found (a) there was a negative effect of urbanization on microarthropod richness and abundance but only in invaded plots; (b) richness and abundance increased continuously with urbanization in non-invaded plots, but peaked at intermediate urbanization levels in invaded plots and (c) there was significant turnover with increasing urbanization, with distinct communities represented in highly urbanized areas compared to less urbanized areas, regardless of whether invaded. We also found litter microarthropod richness and abundance increased with soil ammonium and decreased with nitrate. These trends were especially strong for fungivorous microarthropods; however, there was no relationship between soil nutrients and urbanization or invasion. Urbanization and biological invasion drive biodiversity change, and there is a need to disentangle these effects on ecological communities and related ecosystem processes. We show microarthropod communities change with urbanization, with the effects of invasion most prominent in non-urban areas. Here, there is high richness and abundance but low ecological trait diversity, possibly because certain feeding traits are excluded and others overrepresented. Understanding of urban ecological systems must include knowledge of the microarthropods that interact widely across food webs, form distinct communities in highly urban areas and drive many of the important ecological functions upon which people in cities depend.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Malloch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada
| | - Shinichi Tatsumi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hokkaido Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Sebastian Seibold
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.,Berchtesgaden National Park, Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - J Scott MacIvor
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Giménez Gómez VC, Verdú JR, Zurita GA. Thermal niche helps to explain the ability of dung beetles to exploit disturbed habitats. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13364. [PMID: 32770033 PMCID: PMC7414905 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70284-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In terrestrial ecosystems, insects face a wide range of temperatures among habitats and time; consequently, the thermal niche is one of the main determinants of habitat selection and temporal patterns of activity. The replacement of native forests changes micro-climatic conditions and reduces the diversity of dung beetles; however, the physiological mechanisms behind these changes are not clear. We explore the role of the thermal niche in dung beetles to explain the ability of native species to exploit human-created habitats. Using infrared thermography, we measured variables associated with the thermal niche in 17 native species and used linear mixed-effects model and ANOVAs to compare disturbed habitats and the native forest. Endothermy and body mass explained the ability of dung beetles to exploit human-created open habitats. Small and diurnal species with very low endothermy were able to exploit deforested open habitats; evening/nocturnal/crepuscular species showed similar body mass and high endothermy in all habitats. Regarding thermoregulation mechanisms, none of the species (except one) showed defined or efficient mechanisms of physiological thermoregulation. In view of the accelerated process of forest replacement and climate change, a more profound understanding of the physiological requirements of species is essential to predict and mitigate future extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C Giménez Gómez
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones-CONICET, Bertoni 85, 3370, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
| | - José R Verdú
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación - Centro Iberoamericano de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Gustavo A Zurita
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones-CONICET, Bertoni 85, 3370, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones-CONICET, El Dorado, Misiones, Argentina
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Chemnitz J, von Hoermann C, Ayasse M, Steiger S. The Impact of Environmental Factors on the Efficacy of Chemical Communication in the Burying Beetle (Coleoptera: Silphidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2020; 20:5870645. [PMID: 32658275 PMCID: PMC7357268 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that a wide range of insect sex pheromones are condition dependent and play a fundamental role in mate choice. However, the effectiveness of pheromonal communication might not only depend on internal factors of the sender, but also on attributes of the microhabitat, in which the signaler chooses to emit its chemical signal. For example, the degree of anthropogenic land use might affect how successful the signal is transmitted, as land use has been shown to affect animal communities and the complexity of biotic interactions. To test the hypothesis that parameters of the microenvironment determine males' ability to attract females via their sex pheromone, we used the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst (Coleoptera: Silphidae) as our model system. We exposed 144 males across differently managed forest stands and analyzed the impact of 29 environmental parameters. Our data revealed that human land use intensity had no effect on a male's attractiveness. However, the harvested tree biomass positively affected the proportion of competitors attracted. Furthermore, we found that soil characteristics were important factors determining the amount and body size of females a male was able to attract. Consequently, we present evidence that the environmental context of a signaling male influences the effectiveness of chemical signaling either because it affects the transmission process or the prevailing abundance of potential signal receivers. Thus, our results demonstrate that males need to make careful decisions about the location where they emit their pheromone, as this choice of microhabitat has an impact on their fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Chemnitz
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christian von Hoermann
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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de Sousa Gomes-Gonçalves R, Silva de Aguiar F, Costa de Azevedo MC, Araújo FG. Functional stability despite anthropogenic influences on the ichthyofauna of a tropical bay. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 159:105016. [PMID: 32662443 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Classifying species into groups based on taxonomic relationship and functions are objective approaches to evaluate environmental and anthropogenic influences on coastal fishes. We evaluated temporal (1993-1995 and 2012-2015) changes in the taxonomic and functional indices in three zones of a tropical bay heavily impacted over the recent decades. We tested the hypothesis that both indices decrease over time as result of the environmental degradation. A decrease in the taxonomic richness and abundance was observed mainly of the inner zone. The functional structure remained relatively stable, but the functional originality decreased significantly between the two periods. This functional loss is of particular concern because the loss of species with unique treats may generate a series of ecosystem damage. This information tells us that the use of functional indices is essential to complement taxonomic assessments and to detect a more detailed understanding of the real dimension of biodiversity loss in impacted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela de Sousa Gomes-Gonçalves
- Universidade Federal Rural Do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, BR 465, Km 7, 23970-030, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Silva de Aguiar
- Universidade Federal Rural Do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, BR 465, Km 7, 23970-030, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcia Cristina Costa de Azevedo
- Universidade Federal Rural Do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, BR 465, Km 7, 23970-030, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Francisco Gerson Araújo
- Universidade Federal Rural Do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, BR 465, Km 7, 23970-030, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Alvarado F, Salomão RP, Hernandez-Rivera Á, de Araujo Lira AF. Different responses of dung beetle diversity and feeding guilds from natural and disturbed habitats across a subtropical elevational gradient. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Torppa KA, Wirta H, Hanski I. Unexpectedly diverse forest dung beetle communities in degraded rain forest landscapes in Madagascar. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Anneli Torppa
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Helena Wirta
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Ilkka Hanski
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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von Hoermann C, Weithmann S, Deißler M, Ayasse M, Steiger S. Forest habitat parameters influence abundance and diversity of cadaver-visiting dung beetles in Central Europe. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191722. [PMID: 32269801 PMCID: PMC7137943 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Dung beetles provide crucial ecosystem services and serve as model organisms for various behavioural, ecological and evolutionary studies. However, dung beetles have received little attention as consumers of large cadavers. In this study, we trapped copronecrophagous dung beetles on above-ground exposed piglet cadavers in 61 forest plots distributed over three geographically distinct regions in Germany, Central Europe. We examined the effects of land use intensity, forest stand, soil characteristics, vascular plant diversity and climatic conditions on dung beetle abundance, species richness and diversity. In all three regions, dung beetles, represented mainly by the geotrupid species Anoplotrupes stercorosus and Trypocopris vernalis, were attracted to the cadavers. High beetle abundance was associated with higher mean ambient temperature. Furthermore, A. stercorosus and T. vernalis were more abundant in areas where soil contained higher proportions of fine sand. Additionally, an increased proportion of forest understorey vegetation and vascular plant diversity positively affected the species richness and diversity of dung beetles. Thus, even in warm dry monocultured forest stands exploited for timber, we found thriving dung beetle populations when a diverse understorey was present. Therefore, forestry practices that preserve the understorey can sustain stable dung beetle populations and ensure their important contribution to nutrient cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian von Hoermann
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - Sandra Weithmann
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Markus Deißler
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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Rangel-Acosta JL, Martínez-Hernández NJ, Yonoff-Zapata R. Respuesta de los escarabajos coprófagos (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) a la modificación del hábitat causada por un incendio forestal en la Reserva Bijibana, Atlántico-Colombia. REV MEX BIODIVERS 2020. [DOI: 10.22201/ib.20078706e.2020.91.2879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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Ortega-Martínez IJ, Moreno CE, Rios-Díaz CL, Arellano L, Rosas F, Castellanos I. Assembly mechanisms of dung beetles in temperate forests and grazing pastures. Sci Rep 2020; 10:391. [PMID: 31941989 PMCID: PMC6962461 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57278-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of deterministic and stochastic mechanisms in community assembly is a key question in ecology, but little is known about their relative contribution in dung beetle assemblages. Moreover, in human modified landscapes these mechanisms are crucial to understand how biodiversity can be maintained in productive agroecosystems. We explored the assembly mechanisms driving dung beetle assemblages in forests and grazed grassland patches, and assessed the role of dung availability, soil hardness and moisture, elevation and land use heterogeneity as environmental predictors of functional diversity. To determine the underlying assembly mechanisms, we estimated functional diversity metrics (functional richness, evenness and divergence) and their departure from the predicted values by null models. We also used GLMs to assess the influence of environmental variables on functional diversity. In most cases, stochastic processes prevailed in structuring dung beetle assemblages and, consequently, environmental variables were not good predictors of dung beetle functional diversity. However, limiting similarity was found as a secondary mechanism with an effect on dung beetle assemblages in grasslands. Our results highlight the importance of stochastic processes that may reflect a metacommunity dynamic. Therefore, restoring landscape connectivity might be more important than habitat quality for the conservation of these functionally diverse beetle assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilse J Ortega-Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Claudia E Moreno
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
| | - Cecilia Lucero Rios-Díaz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Lucrecia Arellano
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Fernando Rosas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Ignacio Castellanos
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
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Erazo D, Gottdenker NL, González C, Guhl F, Cuellar M, Kieran TJ, Glenn TC, Umaña JD, Cordovez J. Generalist host species drive Trypanosoma cruzi vector infection in oil palm plantations in the Orinoco region, Colombia. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:274. [PMID: 31138275 PMCID: PMC6540391 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3519-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oil palm plantation establishment in Colombia has the potential to impact Chagas disease transmission by increasing the distribution range of Rhodnius prolixus. In fact, previous studies have reported Trypanosoma cruzi natural infection in R. prolixus captured in oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) in the Orinoco region, Colombia. The aim of this study is to understand T. cruzi infection in vectors in oil palm plantations relative to community composition and host dietary specialization by analyzing vector blood meals and comparing these results to vectors captured in a native palm tree species, Attalea butyracea. METHODS Rhodnius prolixus nymphs (n = 316) were collected from A. butyracea and E. guineensis palms in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia. Vector blood meals from these nymphs were determined by amplifying and sequencing a vertebrate-specific 12S rRNA gene fragment. RESULTS Eighteen vertebrate species were identified and pigs (Sus scrofa) made up the highest proportion of blood meals in both habitats, followed by house mouse (Mus musculus) and opossum (Didelphis marsupialis). Individual bugs feeding only from generalist mammal species had the highest predicted vector infection rate, suggesting that generalist mammalian species are more competent hosts for T. cruzi infection . CONCLUSIONS Oil palm plantations and A. butyracea palms found in altered areas provide a similar quality habitat for R. prolixus populations in terms of blood meal availability. Both habitats showed similarities in vector infection rate and potential host species, representing a single T. cruzi transmission scenario at the introduced oil palm plantation and native Attalea palm interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Erazo
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Matemática y Computacional (BIOMAC), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Nicole L. Gottdenker
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - Camila González
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Felipe Guhl
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Monica Cuellar
- Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería Biomédica (GIB), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Troy J. Kieran
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - Travis C. Glenn
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - Juan D. Umaña
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Matemática y Computacional (BIOMAC), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Juan Cordovez
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Matemática y Computacional (BIOMAC), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
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Soto CS, Giombini MI, Giménez Gómez VC, Zurita GA. Phenotypic differentiation in a resilient dung beetle species induced by forest conversion into cattle pastures. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-09987-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Alves VM, Hernández MIM. Local extinctions may be evidenced by the holes of the morphometric hypervolume in dung beetle communities. AUSTRAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Michelon Alves
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia; Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis Santa Catarina 88040-900 Brazil
| | - Malva Isabel Medina Hernández
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia; Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis Santa Catarina 88040-900 Brazil
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da Silva PG, Cassenote S. Environmental drivers of species composition and functional diversity of dung beetles along the Atlantic Forest-Pampa transition zone. AUSTRAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Giovâni da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; 31270-901 Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Sheila Cassenote
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal; Universidade Federal de Santa Maria; Santa Maria Rio Grande do Sul Brazil
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Gómez-Cifuentes A, Giménez Gómez VC, Moreno C, Zurita G. Tree retention in cattle ranching systems partially preserves dung beetle diversity and functional groups in the semideciduous Atlantic forest: The role of microclimate and soil conditions. Basic Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Martínez-Falcón AP, Zurita GA, Ortega-Martínez IJ, Moreno CE. Populations and assemblages living on the edge: dung beetles responses to forests-pasture ecotones. PeerJ 2018; 6:e6148. [PMID: 30581687 PMCID: PMC6295328 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Edge effects alter insect biodiversity in several ways. However, we still have a limited understanding on simultaneous responses of ecological populations and assemblages to ecotones, especially in human modified landscapes. We analyze edge effects on dung beetle populations and assemblages between livestock pastures and native temperate forests (Juniperus and pine-oak forests (POFs)) to describe how species abundances and assemblage parameters respond to edge effects through gradients in forest-pasture ecotones. In Juniperus forest 13 species avoided the ecotones: six species showed greater abundance in forest interior and seven in pasturelands, while the other two species had a neutral response to the edge. In a different way, in POF we found five species avoiding the edge (four with greater abundance in pastures and only one in forest), two species had a neutral response, and two showed a unimodal pattern of abundance near to the edge. At the assemblage level edge effects are masked, as species richness, diversity, functional richness, functional evenness, and compositional incidence dissimilarity did not vary along forest-pasture ecotones. However, total abundance and functional divergence showed higher values in pastures in one of the two sampling localities. Also, assemblage similarity based on species’ abundance showed a peak near to the edge in POF. We propose that conservation efforts in human-managed landscapes should focus on mitigating current and delayed edge effects. Ecotone management will be crucial in livestock dominated landscapes to conserve regional biodiversity and the environmental services carried out by dung beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paola Martínez-Falcón
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingenierías, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Gustavo A Zurita
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical-Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones-CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Ilse J Ortega-Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingenierías, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Claudia E Moreno
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingenierías, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
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da Silva PG, Lobo JM, Hernández MIM. The role of habitat and daily activity patterns in explaining the diversity of mountain Neotropical dung beetle assemblages. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G. da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis Santa Catarina Brazil
| | - Jorge M. Lobo
- Depto. de Biogeografía y Cambio Global; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, C.S.I.C.; Madrid Spain
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Kissick AL, Dunning JB, Fernandez-Juricic E, Holland JD. Different responses of predator and prey functional diversity to fragmentation. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:1853-1866. [PMID: 30007101 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The study of functional diversity, or the range of species' ecological roles in a community, is a rapidly expanding area in ecology. Given the extent that ecosystems are being altered, effort should shift toward assessing variation in functional diversity across landscapes with the goal of improving land use management decisions. We construct a workflow that creates three-dimensional surfaces and maps of functional diversity to examine changes in beetle functional diversity across an Indiana, USA landscape. We sampled 105 prey wood-borer and predator beetle species along a gradient of forest fragmentation across Indiana and used a number of functional traits from literature sources to capture their functional roles. We developed newly measured functional traits to estimate several traits relevant to beetles' ecological function that was unknown and not easily measured. Functional diversity indices (FRic, FDis, FDiv, and FEve) were calculated from species abundance and functional traits and used to assess changes in functional diversity along the fragmentation gradient. We predicted that habitat fragmentation would have a greater negative impact on predator beetle functional diversity than prey wood-borer functional diversity. Landscape metrics most important to the functional diversity of both wood-borer and predator beetle communities were landscape division index (LDI, an assessment of landscape subdivision) and mean shape index (MSI, a measure of patch shape complexity). Overall, three-dimensional surfaces of functional diversity and functional diversity maps across the Indiana landscape revealed that beetle functional diversity was greatest with minimal landscape subdivision. Opposite to what we predicted, we found that the prey wood-borer functional diversity was more negatively impacted by LDI than the predator beetle functional diversity. Furthermore, predator beetle functional diversity was greater with increasing MSI. The map predicted predator FRic to be highest in forested areas with intact habitat and also less sensitive to habitat fragmentation adjacent to more continuous forest. We propose that land management may be guided by revealing landscapes that are most appropriate for maximizing functional diversity of multiple communities or shifting the relative abundance within prey and beneficial predator beetle functional groups with the use of three-dimensional plots or maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Kissick
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA
| | - John B Dunning
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey D Holland
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA
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Raine EH, Gray CL, Mann DJ, Slade EM. Tropical dung beetle morphological traits predict functional traits and show intraspecific differences across land uses. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8686-8696. [PMID: 30271537 PMCID: PMC6157683 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional traits and functional diversity measures are increasingly being used to examine land use effects on biodiversity and community assembly rules. Morphological traits are often used directly as functional traits. However, behavioral characteristics are more difficult to measure. Establishing methods to derive behavioral traits from morphological measurements is necessary to facilitate their inclusion in functional diversity analyses. We collected morphometric data from over 1,700 individuals of 12 species of dung beetle to establish whether morphological measurements can be used as predictors of behavioral traits. We also compared morphology among individuals collected from different land uses (primary forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantation) to identify whether intraspecific differences in morphology vary among land use types. We show that leg and eye measurements can be used to predict dung beetle nesting behavior and period of activity and we used this information to confirm the previously unresolved nesting behavior for Synapsis ritsemae. We found intraspecific differences in morphological traits across different land use types. Phenotypic plasticity was found for traits associated with dispersal (wing aspect ratio and wing loading) and reproductive capacity (abdomen size). The ability to predict behavioral functional traits from morphology is useful where the behavior of individuals cannot be directly observed, especially in tropical environments where the ecology of many species is poorly understood. In addition, we provide evidence that land use change can cause phenotypic plasticity in tropical dung beetle species. Our results reinforce recent calls for intraspecific variation in traits to receive more attention within community ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia L. Gray
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of SussexBrightonUK
| | - Darren J. Mann
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Oxford University Museum of Natural HistoryOxfordUK
| | - Eleanor M. Slade
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Lancaster Environment CentreUniversity of LancasterLancasterUK
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46
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Chatterjee S, Basu P. Food preferences determine habitat selection at multiple scales: implication for bird conservation in tropical forests. Anim Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Chatterjee
- Ecology Research Unit; Department of Zoology; University of Calcutta; Kolkata India
- Centre for Pollination Studies; Department of Zoology; University of Calcutta; Kolkata India
| | - P. Basu
- Ecology Research Unit; Department of Zoology; University of Calcutta; Kolkata India
- Centre for Pollination Studies; Department of Zoology; University of Calcutta; Kolkata India
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Berriozabal-Islas C, Ramírez-Bautista A, Cruz-Elizalde R, Hernández-Salinas U. Modification of landscape as promoter of change in structure and taxonomic diversity of reptile´s communities: an example in tropical landscape in the central region of Mexico. NATURE CONSERVATION 2018. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.28.26186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The degree of species loss was assessed by comparing the structure of communities and species diversity of reptiles from three different environments, one natural (tropical evergreen forest [TEF]) and two modified (shaded coffee plantation [SCP] and grazing area [GA]) from the mid portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico. The results showed 29 species, 18 in TEF, 13 in SCP and 12 in GA. According to the abundance of each species, the reptile structure for TEF and SCP was similar and they both differed from GA, while the diversity (effective number of species) was the highest for TEF. The percentage of number of species from TEF accounted for 28% more species than SCP and GA, which indicated a species loss of about 70% in disturbed environments. The values of beta diversity were the highest between TEF and GA, followed by SCP and GA and to a lesser degree between TEF and SCP, which indicates that TEF showed a high number of exclusive species. Our results suggest that carrying out long-term studies that include richness and diversity in environments with different levels of disturbance, in addition to including characteristics of natural history, might enhance the development of more efficient conservation strategies for these species.
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48
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Frank K, Krell FT, Slade EM, Raine EH, Chiew LY, Schmitt T, Vairappan CS, Walter P, Blüthgen N. Global dung webs: high trophic generalism of dung beetles along the latitudinal diversity gradient. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1229-1236. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Frank
- Ecological Networks; Department of Biology; Technische Universität Darmstadt; Schnittspahnstr. 3 D-64287 Darmstadt Germany
| | - Frank-Thorsten Krell
- Department of Zoology; Denver Museum of Nature & Science; 2001 Colorado Blvd Denver Colorado 80205-5798 USA
| | - Eleanor M. Slade
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
- Lancaster Environment Centre; University of Lancaster; Lancaster LA1 4YQ UK
| | - Elizabeth H. Raine
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Li Yuen Chiew
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation; University Malaysia Sabah; Jalan UMS; 88400 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; University of Würzburg; D-97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Charles S. Vairappan
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation; University Malaysia Sabah; Jalan UMS; 88400 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Philippe Walter
- Laboratoire d'Endocrinologie des Insectes; Faculté des Sciences; Université de Nantes; 44072 Nantes Cedex 03 France
- 130, Village F-09300 Montségur France
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks; Department of Biology; Technische Universität Darmstadt; Schnittspahnstr. 3 D-64287 Darmstadt Germany
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49
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Schweiger AH, Svenning JC. Down-sizing of dung beetle assemblages over the last 53 000 years is consistent with a dominant effect of megafauna losses. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas H. Schweiger
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Dept of Bioscience; Aarhus Univ.; Ny Munkegade 114-116 DK-8000 Århus C Denmark
- Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); Univ. of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Dept of Bioscience; Aarhus Univ.; Aarhus Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Dept of Bioscience; Aarhus Univ.; Ny Munkegade 114-116 DK-8000 Århus C Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Dept of Bioscience; Aarhus Univ.; Aarhus Denmark
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50
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Chikorowondo G, Muvengwi J, Mbiba M, Gandiwa E. Functional diversity of macroinvertebrates on abandoned cattle enclosures in a semi-arid African savannah. Afr J Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gift Chikorowondo
- Department of Natural Resources; Bindura University of Science Education; Bindura Zimbabwe
| | - Justice Muvengwi
- Department of Natural Resources; Bindura University of Science Education; Bindura Zimbabwe
- Restoration and Conservation Biology Research Group; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Monicah Mbiba
- Department of Natural Resources; Bindura University of Science Education; Bindura Zimbabwe
- Restoration and Conservation Biology Research Group; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Edson Gandiwa
- School of Wildlife Ecology, and Conservation; Chinhoyi University of Technology; Chinhoyi Zimbabwe
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