Innate olfactory preferences in dung beetles

Dormont, Laurent; Jay‐Robert, Pierre; Bessière, Jean‐Marie; Rapior, Sylvie; Lumaret, Jean‐Pierre

doi:10.1242/jeb.040964

Cited by 85 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Dung beetles vary from generalists to specialists in their associations with different dung types (Davis 1994;Dormont et al 2004;Tshikae et al 2008). Selectivity is permitted through their variable responses (Shibuya and Inouchi 1982) to the many different volatile chemicals (Dormont et al 2010) that are released by the dung of ruminant herbivores, monogastric herbivores, or omnivores due to their different diets and digestive systems. This selectivity has been demonstrated to be innate rather than an acquired response although it may be modified by interactions with other dung beetle species (Dormont et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Selectivity is permitted through their variable responses (Shibuya and Inouchi 1982) to the many different volatile chemicals (Dormont et al 2010) that are released by the dung of ruminant herbivores, monogastric herbivores, or omnivores due to their different diets and digestive systems. This selectivity has been demonstrated to be innate rather than an acquired response although it may be modified by interactions with other dung beetle species (Dormont et al 2010). Other than responses to soil or vegetation type, the significant structural differences that were demonstrated between assemblages are likely related to a complex of factors involving dung type selectivity, physical attributes of dung, as well as diversity and spatial density of droppings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of land usage on dung beetle assemblage structure: Kruger National Park versus adjacent farmland in South Africa

2011

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Little quantitative evidence exists regarding how effective protected areas are for preserving species. We compared dung beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) inside and outside of the Kruger National Park, which protects indigenous flora and fauna over a large area of savanna in the northeast lowlands of South Africa. Although it is contiguous with other reserves in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, parts of its border abut onto farmland. Some effects of differing land usage either side of this border were studied at the South Welverdiend, significantly greater species richness, abundance, and biomass of dung beetles were recorded in the reserve where mammal species diversity is greater and elephants produce much larger droppings than any mammal in the farmland. Assemblage structure also differed strongly between dung types, weather conditions on sample days, and season, but weakly between sampled soil types. These differences in assemblage structure were recorded over short distances as the sites in the reserve were only 3-4 km from those in farmland at Welverdiend.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of land usage on dung beetle assemblage structure: Kruger National Park versus adjacent farmland in South Africa

2011

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“…These include mammalian diet and resulting dung odour (Davis 1994;Dormont et al 2010), dropping size (Peck and Howden 1984) plus amounts (Lumaret et al 1992) and spatial frequency of droppings (Lobo et al 2006). Therefore, variation in dung type availability across the gradsect was quantified using data on mammal diversity, mammal density, and dung type.…”

Section: Physical and Climatic Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dung beetle assemblage structure across the aridity and trophic resource gradient of the Botswana Kalahari: patterns and drivers at regional and local scales

2013

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Understanding pattern and process at both regional and local scales is important for conservation planning although such knowledge of insects is frequently lacking. To assess patterns along a regional gradient of increasing aridity and diminishing food resources in the Botswana Kalahari, Scarabaeine dung beetles were sampled quantitatively using four dung types at three local sites in six regional areas. At regional scale, factor analysis of species abundance extracted a maximum of six factors, each dominated by a single area. Therefore, the statistical significance of regional spatial variation far outweighed that of dung type association. At local scale, six factor analyses of species abundance extracted from four to six factors. The importance of local dung type associations was relatively high but diminished with increasing local spatial heterogeneity. At regional scale, hierarchical analysis of oblique factors divided assemblages into unique local and shared regional components. Primary extended factors accounted for 40-50% of unique local faunal composition in five out of six areas. Two secondary extended factors showed either high shared proportional contribution to regional assemblage structure in the northeast with a steep decline to the southwest, or an opposite trend. Their point of intersection was consistent with a boundary zone between mesic northeast and arid southwest faunal components in the central Kalahari. Despite some inconsistencies in rank position between regression methods, rainfall, temperature, and mammal density / diversity were the strongest influences on regional patterns defined by secondary factors. Patterns are discussed according to conservation and changes in land usage around reserves.

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“…Within local species assemblages, dung beetles exhibit niche partitioning along several ecological axes (Hanski and Cambefort 1991a), including dung colonization times (Hanski 1980a), seasonality (Hanski 1980b;Jay-Robert et al 2008), diel activity (KrellWesterwalbesloh et al 2004), trophic preferences (Martin-Piera and Lobo 1996), as well as in foraging and nesting strategies (Cambefort and Hanski 1991). Speciesspecific dung preferences have been documented based on dung odour (Dormont et al 2010), dung type (within and among trophic levels; Lumaret and Iborra 1996;Finn and Giller 2002), age (Doube 1987), and water content (Sowig and Wassmer 1994). Niche partitioning also occurs at the scale of individual dung pads (Halffter and Matthews 1966;Holter 1982;Edwards and Aschenborn 1987).…”

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confidence: 99%

Patterns of Niche Partitioning and Alternative Reproductive Strategies in an East African Dung Beetle Assemblage

2012

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Sympatric species of coprophagus dung beetles rely on essentially the same resource for provisioning broods, which raises the question of how local species diversity is maintained. Interspecific competition may be mitigated to some extent by large-scale spatial (e.g., habitat type) and temporal (e.g., seasonal) variation in activity. Niche partitioning also occurs at the scale of individual dung pads. We examined the extent to which inter-and intraspecific variation in adult morphology and behavior contribute to spatial and temporal partitioning above and below the dung pad in the dung beetle community of Kibale Forest, Uganda. Excavations in the vicinity of dung pads revealed significant heterogeneity among species and guilds in the lateral distance between tunnels and dung, and in tunnel depth. Patterns of succession and diel activity demonstrated strong temporal dissociations among guilds. In one species, Onthophagus multicornis, we found a bimodal distribution of male horn sizes and a tunneling pattern consistent with alternative reproductive tactics.

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Innate olfactory preferences in dung beetles

Cited by 85 publications

References 51 publications

Effects of land usage on dung beetle assemblage structure: Kruger National Park versus adjacent farmland in South Africa

Effects of land usage on dung beetle assemblage structure: Kruger National Park versus adjacent farmland in South Africa

Dung beetle assemblage structure across the aridity and trophic resource gradient of the Botswana Kalahari: patterns and drivers at regional and local scales

Patterns of Niche Partitioning and Alternative Reproductive Strategies in an East African Dung Beetle Assemblage

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