Species Turnover and Diel Flight Activity of Species of Dung Beetles,Onthophagus, in the Tropical Lowland Forest of Peninsular Thailand

Abstract

Species turnover and temporal variation of forest insects were used to explain the ecological succession and ecological segregation between efficiently competing species. In this study, species richness, abundance, and beta-diversity of the genus Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) assemblages between 2003 and 2007 were described and the diel—flight activity was examined in the disturbed forest and the interior forest of the lowland tropical rain forest at Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in peninsular Thailand. A total of 2,260 individuals of 22 species in 2003 and 2,382 individuals of 24 species in 2007 were collected. Although species richness and abundance did not differ significantly between the two years, all similarity indices were significantly different. The community structure of Onthophagus assemblage in 2003 demonstrated a heterogeneous pattern, whereas there was a tendency for the pattern to shift toward a more homogeneous structure in 2007. The temporal variation showed two distinct diel—flight activities; diurnal and crepuscular patterns. Six species were crepuscular (O. deflexicollis Lansberge, O. orientalis Harold, O. rudis Sharp, O. sp 1, O. sp 2, and O. sp 4), whereas most of Onthophagus species demonstrated diurnal pattern. Remarkably, five species (O. taurinus White, O. pilularius Lansberge, O. punneeae Masumoto, O. laevis Harold, and O. sp 3.) could not be classified as either diurnal or crepuscular species. It was suggested that the species turnover was probably influenced by the recovery of the forest structure and the decrease of anthropogenic disturbance. Resource partitioning was suggested to be a key factor for crepuscular adaptation in Onthophagus species.

Nocturnal and crepuscular behavior in elasmobranchs: a review of movement, habitat use, foraging, and reproduction in the dark

“…It is possible that juvenile elasmobranchs may reduce nocturnal activities to lower predation risk from larger conspecifics that actively forage during dark periods (Hammerschlag et al 2010). Individuals may also base their foraging decisions on body condition and health, as individuals in poor energetic condition may opt to assume increased predation risk in exchange for access to food resources and increases in probability of hunting success under low light conditions (Brown and Kotler 2004).…”

Aspects of temporal resource partitioning among dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of the Kizilirmak Delta on the Black Sea Coast of Turkey

“…Furthermore, they reported that both habitat filtering, the co-occurrence of potential competitors along the successional gradient, based on similar environmental tolerances, and niche separation, are able to shape these temporal distributions. The significant effects of dung deposition time and exposure period and their interaction on mean guild abundance in the present study evidenced temporal separation and by inference, temporal resource partitioning, which is attributable to diel activity Boonrotpong et al 2012), interspecific aggregation patterns (Hutton and Giller 2004), size differences and changes in dung quality over time (Doube et al 1988;Lumaret and Stiernet 1991). The tunnellers preferred the dung deposited at 06:00 because it was fresh during their peak flight period in the morning.…”

“…preferences for dung of different ages reduce the potential for interspecific and interguild competition by providing multiple opportunities for a particular species in a local assemblage to acquire sufficient resource for feeding and breeding purposes, thus promoting coexistence (Montes de Oca and Halffter 1995;Palestrini et al 1995;Boonrotpong et al 2012;Sullivan et al 2016b).…”

“…Spatial and temporal (seasonal) resource partitioning have been reported from warm temperate areas (Jay-Robert et al 2008). Factors that contribute to temporal resource partitioning by dung beetles at the species and guild levels include the age of dung (Palestrini et al 1998), time of day of dung deposition , seasonality (Montes de Oca and Halffter 1995, Jay-Robert et al 2008 and diel activity (Boonrotpong et al 2012). Schoener (1986) reported that temporal resource partitioning is less common than spatial separation and trophic specialization but reported that temporal resource partitioning is a widespread mechanism that reduces competition.…”

“…Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae, Scarabaeidae) can be found in most environments from the tropics to the coolest temperate regions and up to 5,000 m altitude (Doube 1991;Stiernet 1991, 1994;Boonrotpong 2012). They provide a suite of essential ecological functions and ecosystem services such as dung degradation, bioturbation, secondary seed dispersal, and reduction in the numbers of pests and parasites of humans and domestic animals, and have been used as indicator species in natural and altered ecosystems across their range (Nichols et al 2008).…”