Functionally rich dung beetle assemblages are required to provide multiple ecosystem services

Manning, Paul; Slade, Eleanor M.; Beynon, Sarah A.; Lewis, Owen T.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.11.007

Cited by 86 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, our results seem to suggest that in most cases the interactions among co-occurring species enhanced ecosystem functions, especially in tunnelers, but see Manning et al (2016). As a caveat, we recognize that our experimental design precludes generalizations on the role of diversity in affecting multifunctionality, mainly because the limited number of individuals for each species did not allow us to test all the species in monocultures.…”

Section: Mixed-species Perform Better Than Single-species Assemblagesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing

Nervo

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Celi

et al. 2017

Ecology

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Maintaining multiple ecological functions ("multifunctionality") is crucial to sustain viable ecosystems. To date most studies on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) have focused on single or few ecological functions and services. However, there is a critical need to evaluate how species and species assemblages affect multiple processes at the same time, and how these functions are interconnected. Dung beetles represent excellent model organisms because they are key contributors to several ecosystem functions. Using a novel method based on the application of N-enriched dung in a mesocosm field experiment, we assessed the role of dung beetles in regulating multiple aspects of nutrient cycling in alpine pastures over appropriate spatial (up to a soil depth of 20 cm) and temporal (up to 1 yr after dung application) scales. N isotope tracing allowed the evaluation of multiple interrelated ecosystem functions responsible for the cycling of dung-derived nitrogen (DDN) in the soil and vegetation. We also resolved the role of functional group identity and the importance of interactions among co-occurring species for sustaining multiple functions by focusing on two different dung beetle nesting strategies (tunnelers and dwellers). Species interactions were studied by contrasting mixed-species to single-species assemblages, and asking whether the former performed multiple functions better than the latter. Dung beetles influenced at least seven ecological functions by facilitating dung removal, transport of DDN into the soil, microbial ammonification and nitrification processes, uptake of DDN by plants, herbage growth, and changes in botanical composition. Tunnelers and dwellers were found to be similarly efficient for most functions, with differences based on the spatial and temporal scales over which the functions operated. Although mixed-species assemblages seemed to perform better than single-species, this outcome may be dependent on the context. Most importantly though, the different functions were found to be interconnected sequentially as reveled by analyzing N content in dung, soil and vegetation. Taken together, our current findings offer strong support for the contention that the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functions should be examined not function by function, but in terms of understanding multiple functions and how they interact with each other.

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Section: Mixed-species Perform Better Than Single-species Assemblagesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing

Nervo

Caprio

Celi

et al. 2017

Ecology

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“…Dung removal per se seems not to reflect all other functions and services (current study; see also [53]), and a species excelling at producing one service may be either inefficient in producing another, or distressingly efficient in simultaneously sustaining a disservice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greenhouse gas emissions from dung pats vary with dung beetle species and with assemblage composition

et al. 2017

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Cattle farming is a major source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Recent research suggests that GHG fluxes from dung pats could be affected by biotic interactions involving dung beetles. Whether and how these effects vary among beetle species and with assemblage composition is yet to be established. To examine the link between GHGs and different dung beetle species assemblages, we used a closed chamber system to measure fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from cattle dung pats. Targeting a total of four dung beetle species (a pat-dwelling species, a roller of dung balls, a large and a small tunnelling species), we ran six experimental treatments (four monospecific and two mixed) and two controls (one with dung but without beetles, and one with neither dung nor beetles). In this setting, the overall presence of beetles significantly affected the gas fluxes, but different species contributed unequally to GHG emissions. When compared to the control with dung, we detected an overall reduction in the total cumulative CO2 flux from all treatments with beetles and a reduction in N2O flux from the treatments with the three most abundant dung beetle species. These reductions can be seen as beneficial ecosystem services. Nonetheless, we also observed a disservice provided by the large tunneler, Copris lunaris, which significantly increased the CH4 flux–an effect potentially traceable to the species’ nesting strategy involving the construction of large brood balls. When fluxes were summed into CO2-equivalents across individual GHG compounds, dung with beetles proved to emit less GHGs than did beetle-free dung, with the mix of the three most abundant species providing the highest reduction (-32%). As the mix of multiple species proved the most effective in reducing CO2-equivalents, the conservation of diverse assemblages of dung beetles emerges as a priority in agro-pastoral ecosystems.

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“…Dung can also act as a source of pathogens [16] and emit significant quantities of greenhouse gases, including methane [17,18]. However, these effects can be modified by the diverse communities that inhabit, consume and/or interact with dung, of which dung beetles have been particularly well studied [19][20][21][22][23]. In general, dung beetles play a critical role in carbon and nitrogen cycling, and the maintenance of soil fertility in both natural and agricultural pasture ecosystems [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating cattle with antibiotics affects greenhouse gas emissions, and microbiota in dung and dung beetles

et al. 2016

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Antibiotics are routinely used to improve livestock health and growth. However, this practice may have unintended environmental impacts mediated by interactions among the wide range of micro-and macroorganisms found in agroecosystems. For example, antibiotics may alter microbial emissions of greenhouse gases by affecting livestock gut microbiota. Furthermore, antibiotics may affect the microbiota of non-target animals that rely on dung, such as dung beetles, and the ecosystem services they provide. To examine these interactions, we treated cattle with a commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotic and assessed downstream effects on microbiota in dung and dung beetles, greenhouse gas fluxes from dung, and beetle size, survival and reproduction. We found that antibiotic treatment restructured microbiota in dung beetles, which harboured a microbial community distinct from those in the dung they were consuming. The antibiotic effect on beetle microbiota was not associated with smaller size or lower numbers. Unexpectedly, antibiotic treatment raised methane fluxes from dung, possibly by altering the interactions between methanogenic archaea and bacteria in rumen and dung environments. Our findings that antibiotics restructure dung beetle microbiota and modify greenhouse gas emissions from dung indicate that antibiotic treatment may have unintended, cascading ecological effects that extend beyond the target animal.

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Functionally rich dung beetle assemblages are required to provide multiple ecosystem services

Cited by 86 publications

References 45 publications

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing

Greenhouse gas emissions from dung pats vary with dung beetle species and with assemblage composition

Treating cattle with antibiotics affects greenhouse gas emissions, and microbiota in dung and dung beetles

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Functionally rich dung beetle assemblages are required to provide multiple ecosystem services

Cited by 86 publications

References 45 publications

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from 15N isotope tracing

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from 15N isotope tracing

Greenhouse gas emissions from dung pats vary with dung beetle species and with assemblage composition

Treating cattle with antibiotics affects greenhouse gas emissions, and microbiota in dung and dung beetles

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Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from ¹⁵N isotope tracing