Dung Beetles Associated with Agroecosystems of Southern Brazil: Relationship with Soil Properties

Abstract

Knowing the biodiversity of dung beetles in agricultural and livestock environments is the basis for understanding the contribution that these organisms make in nutrient cycling and ecosystem functions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the structure of copronecrophagous dung beetle communities inhabiting the main agroecosystems in southern Brazil and correlate the presence of these organisms with soil properties. From December 2012 to April 2013, samples of dung beetles were taken in the municipality of Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil (28° 28' S; 48° 56' W) in corn, bean, and sugarcane crops, and in cattle pastures. Beetles were captured in 16 sampling sites, four from each agroecosystem, following a standardized methodology: 10 baited pitfall traps (feces and rotting meat) at a spacing of 50 m with exposure for 48 h. The beetles were identified, weighed, and measured. Soil analyses were performed in order to correlate data on organic matter, texture, macro and micronutrients, and pH with data on the abundance of beetle species using canonical correspondence analysis. A total of 110 individuals belonging to 10 species of dung beetles was found. Twenty-four individuals from seven species (with total biomass of 2.4 g) were found in the corn crop; five individuals from three species (1.8 g) were found in the bean crop; 81 individuals from nine species (30.3 g) were found in cattle pasture areas; and lastly, there were no dung beetles recorded in the sugarcane crop. In areas of cattle grazing, the tunnelers Dichotomius nisus and Trichillum externepunctatum correlated positively with organic matter content, whereas the roller species Canthon chalybaeus correlated positively with soil texture, preferring sandier soils. In corn crop areas, D. nisus was again correlated with organic matter content. Paracoprid dung beetle species were correlated with organic matter content in the soil, and species belonging to the roller functional group were associated with soil texture in the corn crop, preferring sandy soils. Information regarding the relationship of dung beetles with physical-chemical soil properties may be an important strategy for increasing fertility and management of soil conservation in agroecosystems.

Effects of Land-Use Change on the Community Structure of the Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) in an Altered Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador

“…In general, dung beetles biologically degrade organic materials for their food source, such as mammalian feces, dead animal carcasses, rotten plant matter, etc. [ 31 ]. Therefore, they play an important ecological role within the nutrient cycle, influencing seed dispersal and forest regeneration, as well as the control of parasite populations and diseases [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Diversity of Edaphic Fauna in Different Soil Occupation Systems

“…The edaphic community is mainly influenced by the anthropic action (GORBUNOVA et al, 2017), with respect to the use and management of the soil (ASSIS et al, 2017), which directly interferes with the abundance and diversity (SANTOS et al, 2008). This is associated with the physical disturbances and the changes in the quantity and quality of the organic matter (FARIAS;HERNÁDEZ, 2017;PANT et al, 2017).…”

“…Changes in soil occupation also promote an increase in the quantity and quality of vegetal residues on soil surface. This contributes to an increase in the quantity and quality of food available to the invertebrate fauna of the soil and benefits the abundance and ecology of the epigeal fauna (BATISTA et al, 2014;MUELLER et al, 2015;BEDANO et al, 2016;FRANCO et al, 2016, RODRIGUES et al, 2016FARIAS;HERNADEZ, 2017;ČUCHTA et al, 2019). However, Assis et al (2017), Castro et al (2018), Carvalho et al (2018) and Čuchta et al (2019) described that the inadequate occupation of soil and crops contributes to an imbalance in the dynamics of the taxonomic groups that compose the epigeal fauna.…”

Pastagens cultivadas como modificadoras dos padrões ecológicos dos organismos edáficos

“…Os besouros podem ser separados em predadores, fitófagos e saprófitos, embora grande número de famílias dessa ordem possa ser associado a processos de decomposição da matéria orgânica (Farias & Hernández, 2017;Menta & Remelli, 2020). Assim como ocorre com as moscas, Lourente et al (2007) relataram a ocorrência de correlação positiva entre a disponibilidade de matéria orgânica e a presença dessa ordem, que utiliza essa matéria orgânica como fonte de energia.…”