A comparison of dung beetle assemblages (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) collected 34 years apart in an Iberian mountain locality

Cuesta, Eva; Lobo, Jorge M.

doi:10.1007/s10841-018-00119-5

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…1a). This locality was chosen as it shows a high diversity of dung beetles (between 30 and 40 species belonging to the considered subfamilies; Cuesta & Lobo 2019). We sampled three consecutive days (April 28 th –30 th 2015) that showed contrasting temperatures, with around 8 °C of difference between the mean temperatures of the coldest and the hottest days (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidimensionality in the thermal niches of dung beetles could limit species’ responses to temperature changes

Calatayud

Hortal

Noriega

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Understanding the consequences of climate change requires understanding how temperature controls species’ responses across key biological aspects, as well as the coordination of thermal responses across these aspects. We study the role of temperature in determining the species’ diel, seasonal, and geographical occurrence, using dung beetles as a model system. We found that temperature has relatively low −but not negligible− effects in the three spatiotemporal scales, once accounting for alternative factors. More importantly, the estimated thermal responses were largely incongruent across scales. This shows that species have multidimensional thermal niches, entailing that adjustments to fulfil temperature requirements for one biological aspect, such as seasonal ontogenetic cycles, may result in detrimental effects on other aspects, like diel activity. These trade-offs can expose individuals to inadequate temperatures, reducing populations’ performance. Paradoxically, the relatively weak effects of temperature we found may have serious consequences for species’ responses to warming if temperature regulates essential aspects of species’ biology in divergent ways.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidimensionality in the thermal niches of dung beetles could limit species’ responses to temperature changes

Calatayud

Hortal

Noriega

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…For these species, environmental temperature would have a certain amount of control over the seasonal appearance of dung beetles due to its impact on development rates (Rebaudo & Rabhi, 2018). Other studies have also noticed this spatial variation in the phenology of insects (Parmesan, 2006;Menéndez, 2007;Altermatt, 2009;Buckley et al, 2015Buckley et al, , 2017, and more specifically of dung beetles (Hanski, 1980;Hanski & Cambefort, 1991;Palmer, 1995;Menéndez & Gutiérrez, 2004;Errouissi et al, 2011;Cuesta & Lobo, 2019). This variability is considered a plastic response capable of limiting the effects of climatic changes (Forrest, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Higher quality data are necessary to confirm this association. A recent comparison of dung beetle assemblages collected 34 years apart in a locality of the Iberian Central System (Cuesta & Lobo, 2019) indicates that small hypophagic species increased in their relative abundance compared to endophagic species. Similarly, endophagic species also seem to be comparatively more affected by the abandonment of grazing than hypophagic species (Tonelli et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between locality variations in the seasonal patterns of dung beetles: the role of phenology in mitigating global warming effects

Cuesta

Mingarro

Lobo

2021

Ecological Entomology

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1. Global warming may especially affect ectothermic insect species, making it necessary to forecast the capacity of these species to cope with climatic changes.2. In this study, we use circular statistics to examine the seasonal plasticity of 32 dung beetle species in 17 localities of a mountain Iberian assemblage. We assume that the high variability between localities in the seasonal patterns for the same species suggests that seasonal plasticity could minimise the demographic effects of climate change on local populations.3. Our results suggest that the populations of at least one-third of the dung beetle species could partially adapt to the effects of climate change by modifying their phenological occurrence, and that the degree of concentration of the seasonal occurrences is generally maintained independently of the locality. However, we have not detected clear seasonal pattern variations or a clear effect of environmental temperature on seasonal variations in around two-thirds of the studied species.4. The dung beetle assemblages of this mountain region will experience deep changes in the future. Plasticity in seasonal patterns does not seem to be associated with species characteristics such as high-rank taxonomic identity, body weight, or geographical distribution. Only the general functional character of species would have some explanatory power. Endophagic Aphodiidae dung beetle species would be more capable than hypophagic species in mitigating the effects of climate change by modifying their phenological traits, whereas that Scarabaeidae hypophagic species may cope better with these climatic changes without having to change their seasonal activities.

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“…In order to effectively monitor the changes in the distribution and abundance of Mediterranean dung beetles, there is a need for standardised protocols aimed at obtaining long-term data or, failing that, inter-annual comparisons with surveys carried out many years ago. Comparisons carried out in Europe (Agoglitta et al, 2012;Dortel et al, 2013;Menéndez et al, 2014;Birkett et al, 2018;Cuesta & Lobo, 2019) have detected a moderate compositional turnover, probably as a consequence of vegetation and climatic changes, together with a relative decrease in the populations of large-bodied species. (Lobo, 2001).…”

Section: Box 1 Insect Population Decline: Evidence From Dung Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The conservation status and distribution of Mediterranean dung beetles

Numa¹,

Tonelli²,

Lobo³

et al. 2020

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The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the regional conservation status of approximately 6,000 species (amphibians, mammals, reptiles, birds, fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, corals and plants) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions for improving their status. This report summarises the results for Mediterranean dung beetles. All the dung beetles that are endemic or nearly endemic to the Mediterranean region – 200 species – are included. The geographical scope is the Mediterranean region according to the Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot (Mittermeier et al., 2004), with the exception of the Macaronesian islands, which have not been included in this study. Of the 644 species of dung beetles inhabiting the Mediterranean region, 200 (32%) have at least 75% of their distribution range within the borders of the region. The other 444 species, which occur over a wider area, were excluded from this assessment. Of the 200 species analysed, 150 are considered endemic as they cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

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A comparison of dung beetle assemblages (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) collected 34 years apart in an Iberian mountain locality

Cited by 20 publications

References 37 publications

Multidimensionality in the thermal niches of dung beetles could limit species’ responses to temperature changes

Multidimensionality in the thermal niches of dung beetles could limit species’ responses to temperature changes

Between locality variations in the seasonal patterns of dung beetles: the role of phenology in mitigating global warming effects

The conservation status and distribution of Mediterranean dung beetles

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