Biological and Ecological Studies on Aphodius distinctus (Mueller) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Christensen, Christian M.; Dobson, R. C.

doi:10.2307/2424257

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…In the case of our gradient, the higher dung beetle richness at the semiarid end near the coast may be sustained by the increase in diversity of dung types provided by the appearance of cow herds (Lobo et al, 2006;Tshikae et al, 2013b). Further, some Aphodiinae species are generalist saprophages (Christensen et al, 1976;Dellacasa et al, 2006;Holter, Scholtz & Stenseng, 2009), so the higher availability of detritus resources (not quantified in this study) such as leaf litter in this area of higher plant production may be also promoting a higher richness. Further, neither dung beetle abundance nor evenness showed any significant relationship with increasing aridity towards the Sahara.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Dung beetles of the family Scarabaeidae feed and nest on the faeces of diverse animals, Manuscript to be reviewed especially mammalian herbivores, showing diverse dung-exploitation strategies (Hanski & Cambefort, 1991). In the Mediterranean, species in the Aphodiinae subfamily are mainly endocoprids that feed and breed within the dung pat (although many species are known to be kleptocoprids, saprophages and root feeders; Christensen & Dobson, 1976;González-Megías & Sánchez-Piñero, 2003;Dellacasa & Dellacasa, 2006). Whereas the Scarabaeinae subfamily includes paracoprid and telecoprid species that feed and breed directly below or away from the dung pat respectively (Hanski et al, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peer Review #2 of "Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert (v0.1)"

2018

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Background. Assemblage responses to environmental gradients are key to understand the general principles behind the assembly and functioning of communities. The spatial and temporally uneven distribution of water availability in drylands creates strong aridity gradients. While the effects of spatial variations of aridity are relatively well known, the influence of the highly-unpredictable seasonal and interannual precipitations on dryland communities has been seldom addressed. Aims. Here we study the seasonal and interannual responses of dung beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) communities to the variations of water availability along an arid to semiarid region of the Mediterranean. Methods. We surveyed a 400 km linear transect along a strong aridity gradient from the Mediterranean coast to the Sahara (Eastern Morocco), during four sampling campaigns: two in the wet season and two in the dry season. We measured richness, abundance and evenness. Variations in community composition between sites, seasons and years were assessed through beta diversity partitioning of dissimiliarity metrics based on species occurrences and abundances. The effects of climate, soil, vegetation and dung availability were evaluated using Spearman-Rank Correlations, GLMs and partial least-squares generalized lineal regressions for community structure, and NMDS, PERMANOVA and dbRDA-based variation partitioning for compositional variations. Results. Dung beetle abundance and richness showed large seasonal variations, but remained relatively similar between years. Increasing aridity resulted in decreasing species richness and an ordered replacement of species, namely the substitution of the trophically diverse Mediterranean fauna by saprophagous and generalist species both in space towards the Sahara and seasonally in the dry season. Indeed, aridity and its interaction with season and year were the strongest correlates of variations in richness and composition. Discussion. Our study shows that aridity determines composition in dung beetle communities, filtering species both in space and time. Besides the expected decrease in richness, such environmental filtering promotes a functional shift to generalist and saprophagous species in arid conditions, probably related to changes in resource quality along the transect and through the year. Our results highlight the importance of considering the effects of the highly-unpredictable seasonal and interannual variations in precipitation when studying dryland communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert (v0.1)"

2018

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“…In the case of our gradient, the higher dung beetle richness at the semiarid end near the coast may be sustained by the increase in diversity of dung types provided by the appearance of cow herds ( Lobo, Hortal & Cabrero-Sañudo, 2006 ; Tshikae, Davis & Scholtz, 2013b ). Further, some Aphodiinae species are generalist saprophages ( Christensen & Dobson, 1976 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa, 2006 ; Holter, Scholtz & Stenseng, 2009 ), so the higher availability of detritus resources (not quantified in this study) such as leaf litter in this area of higher plant production may be also promoting a higher richness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Dung beetles of the family Scarabaeidae feed and nest on the faeces of diverse animals, especially mammalian herbivores, showing diverse dung-exploitation strategies ( Hanski & Cambefort, 1991 ). In the Mediterranean, species in the Aphodiinae subfamily are mainly endocoprids that feed and breed within the dung pat (although many species are known to be kleptocoprids, saprophages and root feeders; Christensen & Dobson, 1976 ; González-Megías & Sánchez-Piñero, 2003 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa, 2006 ), whereas the Scarabaeinae subfamily includes paracoprid and telecoprid species that feed and breed directly below or away from the dung pat, respectively ( Hanski & Cambefort, 1991 ). The large abundances, relatively easy-to-identify species, relative stable systematics and wide distribution of dung beetles, makes them ideal to study spatial and temporal changes in community structure ( Spector, 2006 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert

deCastro-Arrazola

Hortal

Moretti

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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BackgroundAssemblage responses to environmental gradients are key to understand the general principles behind the assembly and functioning of communities. The spatially and temporally uneven distribution of water availability in drylands creates strong aridity gradients. While the effects of spatial variations of aridity are relatively well known, the influence of the highly-unpredictable seasonal and inter-annual precipitations on dryland communities has been seldom addressed.AimsHere, we study the seasonal and inter-annual responses of dung beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) communities to the variations of water availability along a semiarid region of the Mediterranean.MethodsWe surveyed a 400 km linear transect along a strong aridity gradient from the Mediterranean coast to the Sahara (Eastern Morocco), during four sampling campaigns: two in the wet season and two in the dry season. We measured species richness, abundance and evenness. Variations in community composition between sites, seasons and years were assessed through beta diversity partitioning of dissimiliarity metrics based on species occurrences and abundances. The effects of climate, soil, vegetation and dung availability were evaluated using Spearman-rank correlations, general linear regressions and partial least-squares generalized linear regressions for community structure, and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling, Permutational Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) and distance-based RDA variation partitioning for compositional variations.ResultsDung beetle abundance and species richness showed large seasonal variations, but remained relatively similar between years. Indeed, aridity and its interaction with season and year were the strongest correlates of variations in species richness and composition. Increasing aridity resulted in decreasing species richness and an ordered replacement of species, namely the substitution of the Mediterranean fauna by desert assemblages dominated by saprophagous and generalist species both in space towards the Sahara and in the dry season.DiscussionOur study shows that aridity determines composition in dung beetle communities, filtering species both in space and time. Besides the expected decrease in species richness, such environmental filtering promotes a shift towards generalist and saprophagous species in arid conditions, probably related to changes in resource quality along the transect and through the year. Our results highlight the importance of considering the effects of the highly-unpredictable seasonal and inter-annual variations in precipitation when studying dryland communities.

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“…The beetle, Chilothorax distinctus (Müller) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is about 4–6 mm in length. It is a strong diurnal flier with peak activity at dusk (Seamans 1934; Christensen and Dobson 1976; K.D. Floate, personal observation).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Release and recapture of three insect species test the efficacy of trap method and air flow in insect containment

2012

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Regulations for the containment of arthropods stipulate that containment facilities be specially designed and operated to prevent arthropod escapes. A key area for security is the entrance–exit anteroom on the facility's periphery, which is to have an insect trap for capturing incident arthropods, and an inward directional flow of air. To test the efficacy of these features, a release-recapture study was conducted in the anteroom of an operational containment facility using different trap methods (ceiling-mounted ultraviolet [UV] or incandescent light traps, floor-situated pan water trap), and three insect species (dung beetle, Chilothorax distinctus (Müller) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – formerly known as Aphodius distinctus; house fly, Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae); parasitic wasp, Urolepis rufipes (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)). The optimum method for capturing insects within the anteroom varied with species and their behaviours; UV light trap + water trap for C. distinctus (mean catch: 82.3% ± 2.7% of recovered beetles), water trap + incandescent light trap for M. domestica (mean catch: 78.3% ± 4.1%), and UV light trap for U. rufipes (mean catch: 13.0% ± 8.5%; but no trap worked particularly well). Inward flow of air was deemed most effective for containing the small and active U. rufipes, with 23% of detected escapees moving deeper into quarantine. Awareness of insect behaviour in artificial environments is advised for determining whether additional security protocols are required.

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Biological and Ecological Studies on Aphodius distinctus (Mueller) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Peer Review #2 of "Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert (v0.1)"

Peer Review #2 of "Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert (v0.1)"

Spatial and temporal variations of aridity shape dung beetle assemblages towards the Sahara desert

Release and recapture of three insect species test the efficacy of trap method and air flow in insect containment

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