Identifying the anthropogenic drivers of declines in tropical dung beetle communities and functions

Fuzessy, Lisieux Franco; Benítez‐López, Ana; Slade, Eleanor M.; Bufalo, Felipe; Magro-de-Souza, Giovana C.; Pereira, Lucas Augusto; Culot, Laurence

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109063

Cited by 27 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Dung beetles have been identified as an appropriate invertebrate taxon to evaluate global patterns associated with the impact of undisturbed primary forest conversion, because their diversity and ecological functions present high sensitivity to anthropogenic perturbations (Bicknell et al, 2014; Fuzessy et al, 2021; López‐Bedoya et al, 2021; Nichols et al, 2008; Otavo et al, 2013; Slade et al, 2011; Spector, 2006). Some of the most critical functions involve removing excrement from the surface by burial, nutrient cycling, soil aeration, filtration capacity, secondary seed dispersal, parasite and fly control, and the control of greenhouse gas effects (Nichols et al, 2008; Slade et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of the most critical functions involve removing excrement from the surface by burial, nutrient cycling, soil aeration, filtration capacity, secondary seed dispersal, parasite and fly control, and the control of greenhouse gas effects (Nichols et al, 2008; Slade et al, 2016). Knowledge about the response of dung beetle's diversity or ecological functions to undisturbed primary forest conversion has been evaluated by different synthesis (see Fuzessy et al, 2021; López‐Bedoya et al, 2021; Nichols et al, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013). However, these investigations focus a wide range of impacts (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Primary forest loss and degradation reduces biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: A global meta‐analysis using dung beetles as an indicator taxon

López‐Bedoya

Bohada‐Murillo

Ángel‐Vallejo

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Because of continuing degradation or deforestation in areas of undisturbed primary forest, there is a need to study the relative merit of strategies that mitigate their impacts on biodiversity and associated ecological functionality.2. Here, we provide a global synthesis of forest degradation or deforestation using 48 studies published in peer-reviewed journals that use dung beetles as indicators given their sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance and their relevance in performing essential ecological functions in terrestrial ecosystems.3. We evaluated forest cover associated with undisturbed primary forest degradation (i.e. degraded primary forest) and undisturbed primary forest deforestation (i.e. secondary forest, forestry plantations and forestry restoration implementation) on species richness, total abundance, biomass, functional groups' presence and ecological functions provided by dung beetles. Additionally, we determined whether if dung beetle responses to forest disturbances were geographically dependent.4. We found lower diversity and a decrease in ecological functions associated with all classes of disturbance in primary forest. However, the effects were less severe in the case of forest degradation compared to complete deforestation with natural regeneration of secondary forest, development of forest plantations or active forest restoration by planting indigenous trees. The Neotropical and Oriental regions are particularly vulnerable, given the elevated rates of undisturbed primary forest deforestation and its negative impact on their assemblages' diversity and ecological functions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary forest loss and degradation reduces biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: A global meta‐analysis using dung beetles as an indicator taxon

López‐Bedoya

Bohada‐Murillo

Ángel‐Vallejo

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…This indicates that specific management characteristics or geographic locations modify the effects of forestry plantations. We currently lack a global synthesis of beetle responses to plantation context and management, with previous evaluations restricted to single regions (e.g., Palearctic; Paillet et al ., 2010), or not assessing the impacts of management characteristics (e.g., Nichols et al ., 2007; Fuzessy et al ., 2021; Méndez‐Rojas et al ., 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What level of native beetle diversity can be supported by forestry plantations? A global synthesis

López‐Bedoya

Magura

Edwards

et al. 2021

Insect Conserv Diversity

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1. Forestry plantations have been established globally to meet timber demands, often leading to the conversion of natural to artificial forests. Forestry plantations may support natural elements of forest biodiversity, but understanding their role in the maintenance of biodiversity is a crucial question.2. We performed a meta-analysis of 48 studies to determine how forestry plantations relative to natural forests influence the species richness and abundance of three important coleopteran groups (i.e., ground beetles, rove beetles, and dung beetles), given their essential role in ecosystem functioning.3. We assessed whether beetle responses depended on taxonomic group, geographical location, native or exotic character of the planted tree species, and associated management characteristics (i.e., composition, size, age, and connectivity of the plantations).4. We found that forestry plantations negatively affected coleopteran species richness and abundance compared to natural forests. The negative impact was most severe in plantations with exotic tree species and located in tropical biomes.5. Species richness and abundance of beetles significantly increased with plantation age in native plantations but decreased in exotic ones. Also, small plantations close to native forest had higher beetle species richness and abundance than ones located far away from native forest.6. Stopping the conversion of natural forests to plantations, promoting the use of native tree species, and lengthening rotations are critical for allowing biodiversity recovery in forestry plantations, combined with a robust conservation strategy to protect threatened biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

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“…We assessed how changes in mammal diversity and above-ground carbon density (ACD) from primary forest to logged and fragmented forest to rubber and oil palm plantations affected the structure of dung beetlemammal interaction networks. As dung beetles are known to be affected by logging, hunting of mammals and conversion of forest to agriculture (Fuzessy et al, 2021;Nichols et al, 2007), we predicted that dung beetle diversity would decrease with increasing disturbance, leading to changes in network structure. We predicted that specialist interactions would be most prone to loss, resulting in the networks becoming more nested and less even, with higher generality and lower functionality (see Section 2 for detailed predictions on each network metric).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But how defaunation indirectly affects other animals, particularly commensal species, is relatively understudied (Malhi et al., 2016; but see Nichols, Uriarte, Peres, et al., 2013). In particular, the effect of mammal defaunation on dung beetle (Scarabaeidae) communities is an important, yet largely neglected, area (Fuzessy et al., 2021; Raine & Slade, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical forest dung beetle–mammal dung interaction networks remain similar across an environmental disturbance gradient

Chiew

Hackett

Brodie

et al. 2022

Journal of Animal Ecology

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1. Conservation outcomes could be greatly enhanced if strategies addressing anthropogenic land-use change considered the impacts of these changes on entire communities as well as on individual species. Examining how species interactions change across gradients of habitat disturbance allows us to predict the cascading consequences of species extinctions and the response of ecological networks to environmental change.2. We conducted the first detailed study of changes in a commensalist network of mammals and dung beetles across an environmental disturbance gradient, from primary tropical forest to plantations, which varied in above-ground carbon density (ACD) and mammal communities.3. Mammal diversity changed only slightly across the gradient, remaining high even in oil palm plantations and fragmented forest. Dung beetle species richness, however, declined in response to lower ACD and was particularly low in plantations and the most disturbed forest sites. Three of the five network metrics (nestedness, network specialization and functionality) were significantly affected by changes in dung beetle species richness and ACD, but mammal diversity was not an important predictor of network structure. Overall, the interaction networks remained structurally and functionally similar across the gradient, only becoming simplified (i.e. with fewer dung beetle species and fewer interactions) in the most disturbed sites.4. We suggest that the high diversity of mammals, even in disturbed forests, combined with the generalist feeding patterns of dung beetles, confer resilience to the commensalist dung beetle-mammal networks.

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Identifying the anthropogenic drivers of declines in tropical dung beetle communities and functions

Cited by 27 publications

References 76 publications

Primary forest loss and degradation reduces biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: A global meta‐analysis using dung beetles as an indicator taxon

Primary forest loss and degradation reduces biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: A global meta‐analysis using dung beetles as an indicator taxon

What level of native beetle diversity can be supported by forestry plantations? A global synthesis

Tropical forest dung beetle–mammal dung interaction networks remain similar across an environmental disturbance gradient

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