CHAPTER 12. Dung Beetles in Tropical American Forests

Gill, Bruce D.

doi:10.1515/9781400862092.211

Cited by 135 publications

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“…There are about 1200 recognized species of dung beetles in the neotropics (Gill 1991) and tropical rain forest areas typically contain 50 to 60 species of dung beetles (Hanski & Cambefort 1991b). In my study area I captured 61 species of dung beetles using pitfall traps baited with fresh howler monkey dung (Andresen 2000).…”

Section: The Dung Beetle Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of dung presence, dung amount and secondary dispersal by dung beetles on the fate of Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae) seeds in Central Amazonia

Andresen

2001

J. Trop. Ecol.

103

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ABSTRACT. The study of seed fate is crucial for understanding fruit-frugivore interactions. One factor that can greatly influence the fate of seeds dispersed through mammal defecation, is the dung that accompanies the seeds. Dung attracts dung beetles and rodents; the former eat and bury dung, the latter feed on seeds. In this study the fate of Micropholis guyanensis subsp. guyanensis seeds surrounded by no dung and by 5, 10 and 25 g of howler monkey dung was followed until seedling establishment. The depths at which dung beetles bury the seeds were measured, and the effect of burial depth on seedling emergence was determined. Although initial seed fates differed among treatments, the same percentage of seedlings established from seeds without faecal material, and from seeds with 5, 10 and 25 g of dung. However, a significantly higher proportion of seedlings established from buried seeds when compared to seeds that remained on the surface. The percentage of seedlings establishing in a controlled germination experiment decreased significantly with increasing burial depth. The effect of dung beetle activity should be taken into consideration when assessing the role that mammal endozoochory plays on seed dispersal ecology of tropical plants. These results provide further evidence for the emerging realization that the study of secondary seed dispersal and post-dispersal events is crucial for a more complete understanding of plant regeneration.

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Section: The Dung Beetle Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of dung presence, dung amount and secondary dispersal by dung beetles on the fate of Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae) seeds in Central Amazonia

Andresen

2001

J. Trop. Ecol.

103

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“…The beetles then drop with the feces and subsequently use the dung as food or ovipositing material (Halffter & Mathews 1966, Ratcliffe 1980, Howden & Young 1981, Waage & Best 1985. One species from central South America, Zonocopris gibbicollis (Harold), is phoretic on large South American ground snails and is reported to exclusively feed on their mucus (Gill 1991, Vaz-de-Mello 2007. Addtionally, Canthon proseni (Martínez) was reported on the American tapir, Tapirus terrestrius (L.), in Bolivia, though no additional information on dung resource use exists for that account (Pereira & Martínez 1956) There have also been accounts in the last century reporting dung beetles phoretically associated with monkey species in the Neotropics, but unfortunately the majority of these accounts are vague and do not include much, if any, information on the ecological and behavioral interactions of the beetles and the mammal host.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

First come, first serve: " sit and wait" behavior in dung beetles at the source of primate dung

Jacobs¹,

Nole²,

Palminteri³

et al. 2008

Neotrop. entomol.

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Neotropical Entomology 37(6): 641-645 (2008) El Primero que Llegue, Primero se Sirve: Comportamiento "Sentarse y Esperar" en los Escarabajos del Estiércol en la Fuente de Excremento de Primate RESUMEN -Los Escarabajos del estiércol (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) compiten intensamente por excrementos, un recurso escaso por el cual muchas especies forrajean en el sotobosque en bosques tropicales. En este artículo describimos el comportamiento particular de una especie de escarabajo del estiércol, Canthon aff. quadriguttatus (Olivier), asociado a dos especies de primates en Perú. Observamos esta especie de escarabajo en la región genital y anal de monos "tocones", Callicebus brunneus (Wagner), y subsecuentemente cayendo con excrementos que los monos defecaron. De manera similar, observamos individuos de esta especie de escarabajo asociados a monos "huapos", Pithecia irrorata irrorata (Gray). Mediante un comportamiento de "sentarse y esperar" a la fuente, C. aff. quadriguttatus llega primero a la fuente de excremento y aparentemente supera a otras especies de escarabajos en la competencia por el mismo recurso. Este artículo representa el primer registro de C. aff. quadriguttatus en asociación a dos especies de primate en la Amazonía del sureste de Perú. Discutimos este comportamiento en el contexto de competencia y distribución de recursos y especulamos sobre la razón por la cual este escarabajo está asociado a ambas especies de primates. PALABRAS-CLAVE: Competencia, distribución de recursos, foresia, especialización de nichoABSTRACT -Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) compete intensively for dung resources, and most species forage in the understory. Here, we describe the unique behavior of one dung beetle species, Canthon aff. quadriguttatus (Olivier), associated with two species of monkeys from Peru. We observed this beetle species on the genital and anal regions of the brown titi monkey, Callicebus brunneus (Wagner), and subsequently falling with dung as the monkeys defecated. The same association was also observed with the bald-faced saki monkey, Pithecia irrorata irrorata (Gray).Using the "sit and wait" at the source behavior, C. quadriguttus may arrive fi rst at the dung resource, possibly out-competing other dung beetle species. This paper is the fi rst report of this behavior for C. aff. quadriguttatus on the brown titi monkey and bald-faced saki monkey from southeastern, Amazonian Peru. We discuss this behavior in the context of competition and resource partitioning, and also speculate as to why C. aff. quadriguttatus has been found on both monkey species.

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“…Dung beetles specialize on food particle size, location within or under the dung pat, age of dung pat, size of dung pat, dung quality, diel activity, seasonal activity, beetle size, and soil type (Finn & Gittings 2003). Temperate dung beetles compete highly for space below the dung pat whereas tropical beetles appear to be more limited by the food itself (Peck & Forsyth 1982, Gill 1991, Finn & Gittings 2003. Across all latitudes it is advantageous to arrive at the dung pat first to obtain enough resource, be it food or space, for consumption and reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across all latitudes it is advantageous to arrive at the dung pat first to obtain enough resource, be it food or space, for consumption and reproduction. A few species entirely avoid this problem by specializing on rare types of dung, such as sloth, reptile or amphibian dung (Young 1981, Gill 1991, but most species are generalists on mammalian dung. For the vast majority of these, late arrivals have two options.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dung beetle communities: a neotropical-north temperate comparison

Radtke¹,

Fonseca²,

Williamson³

2010

Neotrop. entomol.

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-Dung beetle communities have been compared across north temperate latitudes. Tropical dung beetle communities appear to be more diverse based on studies using different methodologies. Here, we present results from a standardized sampling protocol used to compare dung beetle communities across five neotropical forests in Brazil and Ecuador and two warm, north temperate forests in Mississippi and Louisiana. Species richness in the tropical forests was three to seven times higher than the temperate forests, as would be expected by studies of other taxa across tropical and temperate latitudes. Average body size in the temperate forests was larger than the tropical forests, as predicted by Bergmann's rule. Dung beetle abundance and volume per trap-day were generally higher in Ecuador than Brazil, and higher in Mississippi than Louisiana, but there were no tropical-temperate differences. Species rank-abundance curves were similar within countries and between countries. Rank-volume distributions indicated a smaller range of beetle body sizes in Ecuador versus Brazil or the USA. Community similarity was high within countries and low between countries. Community differences between Brazil and Ecuador sites may be explained by differences in productivity based on geological age of the soils.

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CHAPTER 12. Dung Beetles in Tropical American Forests

Cited by 135 publications

References 0 publications

Effects of dung presence, dung amount and secondary dispersal by dung beetles on the fate of Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae) seeds in Central Amazonia

Effects of dung presence, dung amount and secondary dispersal by dung beetles on the fate of Micropholis guyanensis (Sapotaceae) seeds in Central Amazonia

First come, first serve: " sit and wait" behavior in dung beetles at the source of primate dung

Dung beetle communities: a neotropical-north temperate comparison

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