Diversity and composition of dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) assemblages in a heterogeneous Andean landscape

Escobar, Federico

doi:10.1080/03946975.2004.10531202

Cited by 56 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Davis and Sutton 1998;Davis 2000;Holloway et al 1992;Shahabuddin et al 2005) and South or Central America (Howden and Nealis 1975;Klein 1989;Flavila and Halffter 1997;Spector and Ayzama 2003;Medina et al 2002;Escobar 2004;Avendaño-Mendoza et al 2005;Durães et al 2005). The relatively few studies of effects of habitat disturbance on dung beetles from East Africa have had their focus on the rain forest habitat (Nummelin and Hanski 1989;Zilihona and Nummelin 2001;Newmark and Sentoza 2003;Chapman et al 2003), whereas research relating dung beetle fauna to forest/bush degradation in more arid, Afrotropical areas, has been restricted to South Africa (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Deforestation and biodiversity: effects of bushland cultivation on dung beetles in semi-arid Tanzania

Nielsen

2007

Biodivers Conserv

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Dung beetles provide important ecosystem services in the habitats where they occur. The activity of dung beetles enhances soil nutrient cycling and increases the soil's ability to absorb and hold water. Consequently, these beetles are particularly important in semi-arid environments. This study analyses the importance of remaining wooded habitat patches (bushland) for the survival of a diverse dung beetle fauna in an otherwise cultivated landscape in semi-arid Tanzania. Dung beetles were sampled by pitfall trapping in maize fields and bushland habitats. In total, 6037 dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), representing 77 species from 25 genera, were collected. Many species, particularly amongst the ball-rollers, showed a clear preference for wooded patches, species richness being significantly higher in the bushland patches than in the cultivated sites. The number of trapped specimens in bushland was also considerably higher than that found in maize fields, although the differences were not significant. In conclusion, bushland fragments appear to have an important conservation value as to maintaining a high diversity and abundance of dung beetles, thereby enhancing the ecosystem services provided by these beneficial insects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Deforestation and biodiversity: effects of bushland cultivation on dung beetles in semi-arid Tanzania

Nielsen

2007

Biodivers Conserv

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“…How do their patterns of movement in the landscape differ; and, are any differences in movement pattern associated with interspecific differences in wing loading? In the Colombian Andes, O. conspicillatum is a dominant species where there is cover of anthropic origin such as sun-grown coffee crops and appears to avoid entering large patches of forest (Escobar 2004;Cultid et al 2012). In contrast, D. cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Thus, beetles have an important role in the removal of dung and recycling of nutrients, improving the condition of the soil and contributing to the biological control of flies and parasites that are disease vectors (Nichols et al 2008). Given that dung beetle assemblages in sun-grown coffee plantations in the Andes are dominated by large species that account for much of the beetle community's biomass in these systems (Escobar 2004;Cultid et al 2012), and considering the ephemeral nature of the resource these beetles use to feed and nest (excrement, carrion), they are expected to have a relatively high degree of mobility and therefore large foraging areas (Cambefort and Hanski 1991). That being said, the population ecology of these species and our knowledge of their functional impact on agricultural landscapes is in its infancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and population size of two dung beetle species in an Andean agricultural landscape dominated by sun-grown coffee

et al. 2015

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Understanding how species use and persist in agricultural areas is useful for planning conservation efforts at the landscape scale. Information at the population level is scarce, even for organisms, such as dung beetles, that are traditionally used in biodiversity studies to evaluate the effects of anthropic disturbance. Based on multiple mark-recapture events, the description of movement patterns and three population parameters (population size, survival and recruitment) were compared for two dung beetle species (Dichotomius cf. alyattes and Oxysternon conspicillatum) in a fragmented Andean landscape dominated by sun-grown coffee crops. Interspecific differences were detected in movement patterns and in the minimum distance moved across the landscape, with the latter associated with wing loading and species habitat preferences. D. cf. alyattes was captured in both the forest and in sungrown coffee plots, but tended to limit its movement to patches of forest, while O. conspicillatum covered large distances in short periods of time across the sun-grown coffee crops (ca. 1.7 km/24 h). The population of each species increased during the months of greatest precipitation, prior to the recruitment of new beetles. Given their great capacity for movement, habitat preference and their differential use of the landscape, the species studied can be used as models to evaluate the functional connectivity of Andean landscapes under high anthropic demand. Our results support the idea of the differential response of species to land-use changes, an aspect that should be considered for effective biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning in human-dominated landscapes.

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“…They are also composed of species with a strong dependence on well-conserved forest areas, and little capacity for expansion into degraded open areas that have been cleared of arboreal vegetation (Escobar 2004). The cultivation of B. patinoi under a diversified and permanent cover of trees (As1) maintains a diversity and structure of dung beetle assemblage similar to that observed in Fp and Fs, while for B. patinoi that is grown below scattered trees (As2) or has a high sowing density (As3) dung beetle diversity is similar to that of abandoned agricultural fields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential value of agroforestry to dung beetle diversity in the wet tropical forests of the Pacific lowlands of Colombia

Neita

Escobar

2011

Agroforest Syst

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In tropical regions where agricultural activities are limited, agroforestry is an alternative for both economic development and for the management and conservation of biodiversity. The potential role of different types of land use as reservoirs of dung beetle diversity in the wet tropical forest of the Pacific lowlands of Colombia is evaluated in three agroforestry systems that differ in canopy cover and the sowing density of Borojoa patinoi crops associated with timber forest. Although total species richness was similar among land use types, differences related to the decrease in the abundance and biomass of the species were remarkable, and reflected in turn by the diversity and structure of the guilds. The general pattern observed was one in which the structure of the dung beetle assemblage of B. patinoi growing below a diversified and permanent tree cover was similar to that of the primary and secondary forest. Beetle diversity in management systems with less tree cover or a high sowing density of B. patinoi was lower and very similar to that of abandoned agricultural fields. This suggests that B. patinoi agroforestry systems can be viewed as valuable instruments for biodiversity management and conservation in the wet tropical forests of the Pacific lowlands and not just as substitutes for forest, though we must be aware that structural changes in the beetle community may in turn affect the ecological processes regulated by these insects in the agrosystems under study.

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Diversity and composition of dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) assemblages in a heterogeneous Andean landscape

Cited by 56 publications

References 22 publications

Deforestation and biodiversity: effects of bushland cultivation on dung beetles in semi-arid Tanzania

Deforestation and biodiversity: effects of bushland cultivation on dung beetles in semi-arid Tanzania

Movement and population size of two dung beetle species in an Andean agricultural landscape dominated by sun-grown coffee

The potential value of agroforestry to dung beetle diversity in the wet tropical forests of the Pacific lowlands of Colombia

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