Sustained parasiticide use in cattle farming affects dung beetle functional assemblages

Sands, Bryony; Wall, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2018.06.012

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…First, drug resistance has accumulated in many countries (Relf et al, 2014;Sallé et al, 2017;Nielsen et al, 2018). Second, the metabolites of some of these drugs exert detrimental side-effects on dung beetle assemblages (Sands and Wall, 2018). Therefore, alleviating drug selection pressure on equine strongylid communities should reduce environmental side-effects and decrease associated economic costs (Lester et al, 2013;Sallé et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horses grazing with cattle have reduced strongyle egg count due to the dilution effect and increased reliance on macrocyclic lactones in mixed farms

Forteau¹,

Dumont²,

Sallé³

et al. 2020

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Strongyle infection is an important issue in horse breeding. It impairs horse health and performance, with young horses being the most sensitive. Strongyle control has long relied on the systematic use of chemical treatments. However, expanding anthelmintic resistance among strongyles calls for alternative options. Mixed grazing is assumed to reduce strongyle load on the pasture as the result of a dilution effect. This has been shown in small ruminants grazing with cattle, but the putative benefits of co-grazing between horses and cattle have not yet been evaluated. Here, we conducted field surveys and face-to-face interviews on 44 farms from two contrasted saddle-horse production areas, Normandy and northern Massif Central, to compare equine strongyle management practices between specialized systems and mixed horse-cattle systems. Our goals were (i) to quantify breeders’ awareness of the putative benefits associated with the co-grazing of horses and cattle, (ii) to establish whether mixed farming was associated with different strongyle management strategies and (iii) to test whether strongyle egg excretion was reduced in horses grazed with beef cattle. Every breeder relied on systematic calendar treatments, and only 8 out of the 23 mixed breeders were aware that co-grazing of horses with cattle could be used as part of their strongyle control strategy. Management practices were similar across both systems in Normandy. In Massif Central, mixed breeders formed a distinct cluster from their specialized counterparts: deworming was less frequent and stocking density was higher in mixed farms, while specialized breeders seemed more willing to integrate herd and plot management into control strategies. Faecal egg counts measured in horses from Massif Central were significantly reduced when horses were grazed with cattle. This was the result of an increased reliance on macrocyclic lactones in mixed farms (P < 0.01) and a significant dilution effect (P < 0.01). When considering a subsample of horses treated with macrocyclic lactones only, young horses grazed with cattle had 50% fewer strongyle eggs excreted in their faeces than horses grazed in equine-only pastures (P < 0.01). This is the first evidence of the benefits of mixed grazing with cattle as an alternative to control strongyle infection in horses, although this promising alternative remains largely unknown by horse breeders.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horses grazing with cattle have reduced strongyle egg count due to the dilution effect and increased reliance on macrocyclic lactones in mixed farms

Forteau¹,

Dumont²,

Sallé³

et al. 2020

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous work has highlighted an association between the long-term use of MLs and SPs and reduced beetle species richness (Sands & Wall, 2018). Effects were predominantly on paracoprids, such as Onthophagus, while paradoxically finding a higher abundance of endocoprids, such as Aphodius, on farms that used MLs or SPs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pitfall trapping was carried out from 13 th June to 26 th July 2016 on all 23 farms (as described by Sands & Wall, 2018). Traps were set up on pasture as previously described, between 09:00 and 12:00 noon, and left for 24 h. Ten traps were placed at each farm along a straight line transect, 5 m apart.…”

Section: Field Investigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive sublethal effects of macrocyclic lactones and synthetic pyrethroids on the dung beetle Onthophagus similis

Weaving

Sands

Wall

2019

Bull. Entomol. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dung-colonizing beetles provide a range of ecosystem services in farmland pasture systems. However, such beetles are declining in Northern temperate regions. This may, in part, be due to the widespread use of macrocyclic lactones (MLs) and synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) in livestock farming. These chemicals are used to control pests and parasites of cattle; the residues of which are excreted in dung at concentrations toxic to insects. While the lethal effects of such residues are well known, sublethal effects are less understood. Any effects, however, may have important consequences for beetle populations, particularly if they affect reproduction. To investigate, the impact of ML and SP exposure on the reproductive output of Onthophagus similis (Scriba), a Northern temperate dung beetle species, was examined. In laboratory trials, field-collected adult O. similis exposed to the ML ivermectin at 1 ppm (wet weight) over a period of 3 weeks had smaller oocytes (p = 0.016), smaller fat bodies and reduced motility compared to the control. In a farm-level investigation, cattle dung-baited pitfall trapping was undertaken on 23 beef cattle farms in SW England, which either used MLs (n = 9), SPs (n = 7) or neither chemical (n = 7). On farms that used no MLs or SPs, 24.2% of females caught were gravid. However, on farms that used MLs no gravid females were caught, and only 1% of the beetles caught on farms using SPs were gravid (p < 0.001). The association between ML and SP use and impaired reproductive output suggests that the use of such chemicals is likely to be ecologically damaging.

show abstract

“…= 257), avoiding any substantial variation in geography or weather. In addition, none of the study farms applied parasiticides to their cattle, the application of which has been shown to result in reduced biomass, species richness and functional efficiency of dung beetles [31,32]. Ethical approval was granted for this research by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (Reference: ARG/16/06).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Upon collection, carabid beetles were grouped by pitfall trap number and preserved in 70% ethanol (v/v). dung beetles [31,32]. Ethical approval was granted for this research by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (Reference: ARG/16/06).…”

Section: Carabid Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grassland Management Affects Vegetation Structure, Bats and Their Beetle Prey

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agricultural grasslands provide vital habitats for many species. Yet despite representing a significant proportion of European land use, they are disproportionately understudied compared to arable systems. Increases in productivity and intensification have led to changes in management practices, which are likely to affect grassland habitats and the ecological communities that they support. This study simultaneously monitored three trophic levels to assess the impacts of permanent versus temporary pasture (leys) on vegetation composition, carabid and dung beetle abundance, and the activity of beetle-feeding bats. Leys had lower abundances of soil-inhabiting dung beetles, which may be explained by the more recent exposure to tilling compared with permanent pasture. Beetle-feeding bat activity was also greater in leys, with positive relationships between E. serotinus activity and Onthophagus abundance across both pasture types. However, the lack of any positive relationships between beetle-feeding bat activity and Aphodius, a well-known prey genus, suggests that other key prey orders (Lepidoptera) may be of more influence on bat activity. As well as the management of pasture, differences in cattle management between pasture types can have a significant impact on vegetation and soil structure, which influence invertebrate communities and potentially dictate habitat suitability for bats.

show abstract

Sustained parasiticide use in cattle farming affects dung beetle functional assemblages

Cited by 33 publications

References 40 publications

Horses grazing with cattle have reduced strongyle egg count due to the dilution effect and increased reliance on macrocyclic lactones in mixed farms

Horses grazing with cattle have reduced strongyle egg count due to the dilution effect and increased reliance on macrocyclic lactones in mixed farms

Reproductive sublethal effects of macrocyclic lactones and synthetic pyrethroids on the dung beetle Onthophagus similis

Grassland Management Affects Vegetation Structure, Bats and Their Beetle Prey

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About