Exploring co-extinction correlates: the effects of habitat, biogeography and anthropogenic factors on ground squirrels–dung beetles associations

Abstract

Co-extinction is a recurring topic in conservation biology. Quantification of coextinction\ud has been generally restricted to parasite–host, predator–prey and herbivore–host\ud plant interactions. The loss of detritivorous insects upon the depletion of herbivore\ud mammals has been poorly explored. Here, we used rarefaction curves to predict co-decline\ud involving the decrease in scarab dung beetles diversity due to a reduction in the number of\ud dens of the Asia minor ground squirrel in the Turkish steppe biome. We also evaluated the\ud potential benefits provided by livestock in mitigating the decline of scarab beetle communities.\ud Rarefaction curves estimated that a 50% reduction in the number of sample units\ud where squirrel faecal pellets are the only available food resource accounts for a reduction\ud of 28% of all the scarab species, and of 24% of the squirrel-linked species. The current\ud decline of ground squirrels, mainly due to intensification of agriculture, may represent a\ud threat for biodiversity in steppic environments because it may affect the specialized\ud insects, and may produce a cascade effect also on their predators, i.e., saker falcon, buzzards,\ud eagles and mustelids. We also showed that the conservation of ground squirrels and\ud their affiliate scarab species may be ensured by a moderate livestock grazing, owing to the\ud higher ecological success of these rodents in the presence of large herbivores keeping low\ud the grass cover

Coextinction and Persistence of Dependent Species in a Changing World

“…Building on this simple, uniform random extinction model, it is straightforward to condition the extinction of each host species on its intrinsic organismal traits (e.g., size, vagility, clade position) or on its susceptibility to extinction based on population size, geographical range size, habitat fragmentation, or other risk factors for primary extinction (e.g., Bunker et al 2005, Srinivasan et al 2007, Carpaneto et al 2011. In addition, the cell probabilities in the affiliation matrix [zero or one in the model of Koh et al (2004a)] could be based on quantitative, empirical patterns as estimates of probabilities of affiliation with hosts so that the effects of host loss on affiliate (a) Estimated number of coextinctions of louse, flea, and cestode (tapeworm) species as a function of the past and future extinctions of their hosts, 42 terrestrial North American Carnivora (NAC) species.…”

Diet of the European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) in the southern Pannonian plain

“…For example, the species' activities influence plant composition and soil characteristics, and it is considered one of the main prey targets for top predators, including birds and mammals. Moreover, its burrows provide a refuge for many invertebrate and vertebrate species, including some rare ones [16][17][18][19]. Formerly widely distributed, the species is now considered endangered throughout its range and is categorized as endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List [20].…”

The role of ant nests in European ground squirrel’s (Spermophilus citellus) post-reintroduction adaptation in two Bulgarian mountains

“…Playing a key role in the ecosystem, the souslik lives in close interaction with several invertebrate species inhabiting its burrows - scarabid beetles (Carpaneto et al 2011) and ectoparasites such as ticks (Honzakova et al 1980) and fleas (Ryba et al 1980). Some of these relationships are highly specific and not always reappear after reintroduction (Lindtner et al 2019).…”