Effects of paracoprid dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the growth of pasture herbage and on the underlying soil

Bang, Hea Son; Lee, Joon-Ho; Kwon, Oh Seok; Na, Young Eun; Jang, Yong Seon; Kim, Won Ho

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2004.11.001

Cited by 164 publications

(133 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Owing to their small root system, recently emerged seedlings are reliant on the nutrient and water availability in their immediate surroundings [54]. Bang et al [55] demonstrated that dung beetle activity had a positive effect on soil permeability in surface layers, which is positively associated with air and water movement, and greater soil pore space [56]. These soil characteristics could facilitate greater root and shoot growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The value of trophic interactions for ecosystem function: dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in tropical forests

et al. 2016

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Anthropogenic activities are causing species extinctions, raising concerns about the consequences of changing biological communities for ecosystem functioning. To address this, we investigated how dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in the Brazilian Amazon. First, we conducted a burial and retrieval experiment using seed mimics. We found that dung beetle biomass had a stronger positive effect on the burial of large than small beads, suggesting that anthropogenic reductions in large-bodied beetles will have the greatest effect on the secondary dispersal of large-seeded plant species. Second, we established mesocosm experiments in which dung beetle communities buried Myrciaria dubia seeds to examine plant emergence and survival. Contrary to expectations, we found that beetle diversity and biomass negatively influenced seedling emergence, but positively affected the survival of seedlings that emerged. Finally, we conducted germination trials to establish the optimum burial depth of experimental seeds, revealing a negative relationship between burial depth and seedling emergence success. Our results provide novel evidence that seed burial by dung beetles may be detrimental for the emergence of some seed species. However, we also detected positive impacts of beetle activity on seedling recruitment, which are probably because of their influence on soil properties. Overall, this study provides new evidence that anthropogenic impacts on dung beetle communities could influence the structure of tropical forests; in particular, their capacity to regenerate and continue to provide valuable functions and services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The value of trophic interactions for ecosystem function: dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in tropical forests

et al. 2016

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“…Earthworms and termites are the primary biotic agents of cattle dung degradation in some pastures (White, 1960;Holter, 1979;Freymann et al, 2008), but beetles and maggots are usually the 2 main dung-feeding guilds responsible for dung decomposition and nutrient cycling in both tropical and temperate grassland ecosystems (Gillard, 1967;Yokoyama et al, 1991;Mittal, 1993;Bang et al, 2005;Losey & Vaughan, 2006). Specifically, beetles and flies are the most abundant groups that directly contribute to dung removal in the alpine pastures of the Tibetan Plateau.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of beetles and flies in yak dung removal in an alpine meadow of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Sun²

2010

Écoscience

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“…Dead arthropods themselves also contribute to detrital resources and represent significant pools of elements such as calcium [60] and a large number of detritivores feed heavily on fungi [61]. Detritivore biomass was dominated by scarab beetles and scorpionflies (Supplementary Material, Figure S1), families known to have specific detrital roles in accelerating nutrient-recycling [62] and consuming dead organisms in both adult and larval stages, respectively. Our data show that mixed-grass-forb prairies hosted a greater biomass of detritivores than corn or switchgrass (Table 1) but that landscape context and patch size influenced responses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroenergy Crops Influence the Diversity, Biomass, and Guild Structure of Terrestrial Arthropod Communities

et al. 2011

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Expanded production of contemporary bioenergy crops (e.g., corn) is considered a threat to the conservation of biodiversity, yet next-generation perennially based crops (switchgrass, mixed-grass-forb prairie) may represent an opportunity for enhancing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. We employed a multi-scaled approach to investigate the relative importance of feedstock selection, forb content, patch size, and landscape-scale habitat structure and composition as factors shaping the diversity and abundance of terrestrial arthropod communities and the biomass of functional groups of arthropods associated with the provisioning of ecosystem services. Compared to intensively managed annual corn fields, switchgrass and mixed-grassforb prairie plantings were associated with a 230% and 324% increase in arthropod family diversity and a 750% and 2,700% increase in arthropod biomass, respectively. Biomass of arthropod pollinators, herbivores, predators, and parasites were similarly the highest in mixed-grassforb prairie, intermediate in switchgrass plantings, and the lowest in cornfields. Community-wide biomass and that of several functional arthropod groups were positively linked to increasing forest cover and land cover diversity surrounding biomass plantings, while pollinator and detritivore biomass was lower in smaller fields. Results not only suggest that the choice of biomass feedstock will play an important role in shaping within-field arthropod diversity but also indicate an important role for the composition of this surrounding landscape. Collectively, our results suggest that selection of perennially based biomass feedstocks along with careful attention to crop placement have important potential to enhance biodiversity conservation and the provisioning of ecologically and economically important arthropod-mediated ecosystem services in future agricultural landscapes.

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Effects of paracoprid dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the growth of pasture herbage and on the underlying soil

Cited by 164 publications

References 8 publications

The value of trophic interactions for ecosystem function: dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in tropical forests

The value of trophic interactions for ecosystem function: dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in tropical forests

The roles of beetles and flies in yak dung removal in an alpine meadow of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Agroenergy Crops Influence the Diversity, Biomass, and Guild Structure of Terrestrial Arthropod Communities

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