Variation in Dung Removal Rates by Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in a Temperate, Dry Steppe Ecosystem

Jargalsaikhan, Purevdorj; Altangerel, Gombo; Enkhchimeg, Tsedev; Aibek, Ulykpan; Bayartogtokh, Badamdorj

doi:10.3390/d15010091

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Most of this degradation is provided by dung-feeding beetles, as coprophagous fly larvae consume primarily a liquid diet and do not eat enough organic matter to have a significant effect on dung degradation [16]. Beetle size, nesting habits, and reproduction cycle are just a few of the morphological and life cycle attributes of dung-feeding beetles that affect dung removal rates [17,18]. In general, tunnelers and rollers have larger body sizes and nesting habits that remove and bury larger quantities of dung into the soil, and, thus, are more efficient at reincorporating dung into the soil than smaller dweller species (like Aphodiinae) that feed within the dung pat [19,20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of the Dung-Dwelling Arthropod Community in the Pastures of the Northern Plains

Schmid,

Welch,

Lundgren

2024

Insects

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Grassland ecosystems of the Northern Plains have changed substantially since European settlement began in the latter half of the 19th century. This has led to significant changes to the dung-dwelling arthropod community in the region. As humans continue to modify large portions of the landscape, inventories of ecologically significant communities are important to collect in order to monitor the long-term effects of anthropogenic biomes. We conducted a survey of the arthropod community dwelling in cattle dung from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. In sum, 51,283 specimens were collected from 596 dung pats, comprising a community of 22 orders. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera contributed to the majority (94.5%) of the community abundance. The mean pest abundance was low per pat (0.43 adult pests/pat), with 80% of the pats not containing any adult pest. Ecologically beneficial dung-feeding beetles, predators, and parasitoids were abundant in the region, but it was an inconsistent community, which may hinder ecosystem services. This highlights the need for future work to understand the mechanisms to increase the consistency of dung pat colonization for improved consistency of ecosystem services in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of the Dung-Dwelling Arthropod Community in the Pastures of the Northern Plains

Schmid,

Welch,

Lundgren

2024

Insects

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“…By removing substantial amounts of dung, dung beetles provide essential ecosystem services, including nutritional cycling, maintenance of soil characteristics, seed dispersal, reduction in greenhouse gases, and livestock protection from dung breeding dipterans and gastrointestinal parasites [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Because of their sensitivity to several forms of anthropogenic impacts on their ecosystems, dung beetles are globally declining [35][36][37][38][39][40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroecology of Dung Beetles in Italy

Fattorini,

Vitozzi,

Di Biase

et al. 2024

Insects

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The Italian fauna includes about 170 species/subspecies of dung beetles, being one of the richest in Europe. We used data on dung beetle distribution in the Italian regions to investigate some macroecological patterns. Specifically, we tested if species richness decreased southward (peninsula effect) or northward (latitudinal gradient). We also considered the effects of area (i.e., the species–area relationship), topographic complexity, and climate in explaining dung beetle richness. Finally, we used multivariate techniques to identify biotic relationships between regions. We found no support for the peninsula effect, whereas scarabaeines followed a latitudinal gradient, thus supporting a possible role of southern areas as Pleistocene refuges for this group of mainly thermophilic beetles. By contrast, aphodiines were more associated with cold and humid climates and do not show a distinct latitudinal pattern. In general, species richness was influenced by area, with the Sardinian fauna being however strongly impoverished because of its isolation. Faunal patterns for mainland regions reflect the influence of current ecological settings and historical factors (Pleistocene glaciations) in determining species distributions.

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New Data on the Occurrence of Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in Serbia

Byk

Bidas²,

Gazurek

et al. 2023

Diversity

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The Serbian fauna of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea is relatively well-known compared to the neighbouring countries. Many common species known from Serbia’s neighbouring countries are not recorded in Serbia, despite the richness of the country’s habitats, such as high-mountain meadows, pastures, deep gorges, riverbanks (including the exceptionally valuable sandy banks of the Danube) and old forests. Therefore, we aim to supplement the current information on the distribution of the species of the Serbian scarabaeoid beetles. The presented scarabaeoid beetles were caught during seven expeditions in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 (two expeditions), 2021, and 2022. As a result, 2031 beetles belonging to 120 species and five families of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Geotrupidae, Trogidae, Lucanidae, Glaphyridae, Scarabaeidae) were observed. In less than two months of the faunistic study, the authors confirmed the occurrence in Serbia of 49.5% of the scarabaeoid species previously known from this country and added 13 new species that had not been previously recorded: Eulasia pareyssei (Brullé, 1832), Pygopleurus apicalis (Brullé, 1832), Melinopterus reyi (Reitter, 1892), Nimbus johnsoni (Baraud, 1976), Planolinoides borealis (Gyllenhal, 1827), Copris hispanus Linnaeus, 1764, C. umbilicatus Abeille de Perrin, 1901, Cheironitis furcifer (P. Rossi, 1792), Onthophagus dellacasai Pittino & Mariani, 1981, O. similis (Scriba, 1790), Chaetonyx schatzmayri Mariani, 1946, Holochelus costulatus (Frivaldszky, 1835), and Omaloplia corcyrae (Baraud, 1965). Eight species and one subspecies typical for the Balkan Peninsula were also found: Jekelius punctulatus (Jekel, 1866), Pygopleurus apicalis, P. chrysonotus (Brullé, 1832), Onthophagus dellacasai, Chaetonyx robustus robustus Schaum, 1862, Ch. schatzmayri, Omaloplia corcyrae, O. illyrica (Baraud, 1965), and Triodontella dalmatica (Baraud, 1962). Thus, the number of currently known scarabaeoid species in Serbia has increased to 229. Our results indicate insufficient knowledge of the Scarabaeoidea of Serbia. Therefore, further research and new expeditions to Serbia are highly desirable. High-mountain and Danubian communities of dung beetles are priceless and deserve protection. Twenty-one species of scarabaeoid beetles are illustrated.

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Variation in Dung Removal Rates by Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in a Temperate, Dry Steppe Ecosystem

Cited by 3 publications

References 53 publications

A Survey of the Dung-Dwelling Arthropod Community in the Pastures of the Northern Plains

A Survey of the Dung-Dwelling Arthropod Community in the Pastures of the Northern Plains

Macroecology of Dung Beetles in Italy

New Data on the Occurrence of Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in Serbia

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