Comparison of Chemical Attractants against Dung Beetles and Application for Rangeland and Animal Health

Goolsby, John A.; Singh, Niharika; Thomas, Donald B.; Ortega-S., Alfonso; Hewitt, David G.; Campbell, Tyler A.; León, Adalberto Pérez de

doi:10.3958/059.042.0203

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Dung beetles, most of which belong to subfamily Scarabaeidae, are generalist species that consume mammalian dung. There are approximately 7000 dung beetle species worldwide, with many of the species found in Africa (Goolsby et al ., 2017). The diversity of this group stems from differences in body size (Edmonds & Zídek, 2004; Vaz‐de‐Mello, 2008), shape (Hernández et al ., 2011), resource relocation behavior for feeding, nesting, and diel activity period (Hernández, 2002; Lopes et al ., 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2020

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Although reports have documented loss of species diversity and ecological services caused by stressful temperature changes that result from climate change, some species cope through behavioral compensation. As temperatures and magnitudes of temperature extremes increase, animals should compensate to maintain fitness (such as through temporary behavioral shifts in activity times). Appropriate timing of activity helps avoid competition across species. Although coprophagic dung beetles exhibit species-specific temporal activity times, it is unknown whether temperature drives evolution of these species-specific temporal activity times. Using nine dung beetle species (three each of diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal species), we explored differences in heat stress tolerance measured as critical thermal maxima (CT max ; the highest temperature allowing activity) and heat knockdown time (HKDT; survival time under acute heat stress) across these species, and examined the results using a phylogenetically informed approach. Our results showed that day-active species had significantly higher CT max (diurnal > crepuscular = nocturnal species), whereas crepuscular species had higher HKDT (crepuscular > nocturnal > diurnal species). There was no correlation between heat tolerance and body size across species with distinct temporal activity, and no significant phylogenetic constraint for activity. Species with higher CT max did not necessarily have higher HKDT, which indicates that species may respond differently to diverse heat tolerance metrics. Acute heat tolerance for diurnal beetles indicates that this trait may constrain activity time and, under high acute temperatures with climate change, species may shift activity times in more benign environments. These results contribute to elucidate the evolution of foraging behavior and management of coprophagic beetle ecosystem services under changing environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

et al. 2020

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“…Phenological traits like the effects of seasons in the abundance or life cycles (Lobo & Cuesta, 2021 ; Daoudi et al, 2022 ; Martínez et al, 2022 ). Chemical traits, for instance, chemical attracts that signal predators (Goolsby et al, 2017 ; Martín et al, 2021 ). These measures and comprehension of trait diversity help us to understand and evaluate the ecosystem functioning (processes and services) and can be applied to improve decision‐making for conservation and ecosystem restoration (Cadotte et al, 2011 ; Gagic et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric changes on dung beetle Dichotomius problematicus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) related to conversion of forest into grassland: A case of study in the Ecuadorian Amazonia

Marín-Armijos

Chamba‐Carrillo

Pedersen

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The conversion of forest into grassland can induce differentiation in the functional morphology of resilient species. To assess this effect, we have chosen a dung beetle Dichotomius problematicus, as a model species. We established 20 sampling points distributed along a transect for a forest and grassland located in the Podocarpus National Park in Ecuador. Four pit‐fall traps were baited with pig feces per sample point and were left open for 48 h. We sexed and measured 13 morphological traits of 269 individuals. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling was carried out to evaluate the influence of habitat and sexual dimorphism on the traits. We applied a principal component analysis to evaluate the morphological features that best explain the differences between land use and sexual dimorphism. We used generalized linear models to evaluate the explanatory variables: habitat and sexual dimorphism with respect to morphological traits. Five traits contributed over 70% body thickness, Pronotum width, Pronotum length, Head width and Elytra length, following the results of a principal component analysis. Both habitat and sex influence traits. In the forest, the individuals are larger than grassland likely due to available resources, but in grassland, the structures in charge of the burial process head, protibia are larger, displaying a strong pronotum and possible a greater reproductive capacity given by spherecity. These patterns of changes in the size of beetles and their structures could reflect the conservation state of an ecosystem.

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“…Indole, skatole, phenol and butyric acid have been described as dung beetle pheromone constituents (Table 1) in the genus Kheper. Furthermore, some of these compounds have recently been tested in the field in various combinations as dung beetle attractants, especially in Europe [46,47,51]. However, the relative attractancy of dung VOCs to different dung beetle species remains unclear, especially with regard to their species-specific role.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of Antennal Sensilla and Electroantennography Responses of the Dung Beetles Bubas bison, Onitis aygulus and Geotrupes spiniger (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) to Dung Volatile Organic Compounds

Perera

Barrow

Weston

et al. 2023

Insects

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Locating sporadically distributed food resources and mate finding are strongly aided by volatile cues for most insects, including dung beetles. However, there is limited information on the olfactory ecology of dung beetles. We conducted a scanning electron microscopy study on the morphology and distribution of the antennal sensilla of three introduced dung beetle species in Australia: Geotrupes spiniger (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae), Bubas bison and Onitis aygulus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Three main morphological types of antennal sensilla were identified: sensilla trichodea (ST), sensilla basiconica (SB) and sensilla chaetica (SCh). Distinct variations of SB distribution were observed in B. bison and G. spiniger and on different lamellar surfaces in both sexes of all three species. Sexual dimorphism in antennal sensilla distribution or their abundance was not evident. To complement the morphological characterisation of sensilla, electroantennography (EAG) was carried out to construct EAG response profiles of the three species to selected dung volatiles. An initial study revealed that antennae of all species were sensitive to a mix of phenol, skatole, indole, p-cresol, butanone and butyric acid, common components of livestock dung headspace. In addition to these six compounds, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, eucalyptol and toluene were tested for antennal activity. All compounds evoked measurable EAG responses, confirming antennal sensitivity. Geotrupes spiniger exhibited significant responses to all the compounds compared to the control, whereas B. bison and O. aygulus only responded to a subset of compounds. A comparison of relative EAG amplitudes revealed highly significant responses to p-cresol in G. spiniger and to skatole in B. bison. Geotrupes spiniger displayed differential responses to all the compounds. Pooled EAG data suggest highly significant differences in responses among the three species and among compounds. Our findings suggest that a blend of volatiles may offer potential for the trapping of dung beetles, thereby avoiding the use of dung baits that are inconvenient, inconsistent and may pose a threat to farm biosecurity.

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Comparison of Chemical Attractants against Dung Beetles and Application for Rangeland and Animal Health

Cited by 6 publications

References 19 publications

Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Morphometric changes on dung beetle Dichotomius problematicus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) related to conversion of forest into grassland: A case of study in the Ecuadorian Amazonia

Characterisation of Antennal Sensilla and Electroantennography Responses of the Dung Beetles Bubas bison, Onitis aygulus and Geotrupes spiniger (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) to Dung Volatile Organic Compounds

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