The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.

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Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Here, based on electroantennography and spontaneous muscle force tests, we show sub-lethal disorders caused by ivermectin in sensory and locomotor systems of Scarabaeus cicatricosus, a key dung beetle species in Mediterranean ecosystems. Our findings show that ivermectin decreases the olfactory and locomotor capacity of dung beetles, preventing them from performing basic biological activities. These effects are observed at concentrations lower than those usually measured in the dung of treated livestock. Taking into account that ivermectin acts on both glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride ion channels of nerve and muscle cells, we predict that ivermectin’s effects at the physiological level could influence many members of the dung pat community. The results indicate that the decline of dung beetle populations could be related to the harmful effects of chemical contamination in the dung.

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The degree of influence of environment, location and geography on the distribution of closely-related Jekelius nitidus and Jekelius hernandezi , coleopteran species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, was examined. Niche envelope model predictions of probable absence points were based on available presence information. Presenceabsence information for each of the two species was logistic-regressed against climate, altitude, lithology, spatial and river basin variables from each of 100 km 2 UTM Iberian Peninsula squares. Models predict that environmental conditions are suitable for both species in an area larger than that in which they have been found. The best-fitting environment model for J. nitidus , based on summer precipitation, area underlain by siliceous rocks, area with siliceous sediments and aridity index, explains more than 81% of total deviance. The final model, which includes spatial and river basin variables, accounts for nearly of 89% of total deviance. The best-fitting environment model for J. hernandezi , based on the area underlain by calcareous rocks, summer precipitation, aridity index, altitude and minimum annual temperature, explains 63% of total deviance. The final model based on both spatial and river basin variables accounts for nearly 70% of total deviance.Our results suggest that climate influences the distribution of both species similarly and that the acidic or basic nature of the substrate is the environment variable that most influences the occurrence of both species. The major degree of influence of river basin variables, together with lithologic variables, on the current distribution of both species may be due to the limited mobility of these flightless species.

1. An analysis of whether niche differentiation in ball-rolling dung beetles can be explained by the way in which they regulate their body temperature was conducted.2. A priori assumptions were: (i) if thermoregulation affects niche partitioning, sympatric species must have different endothermic strategies that minimise encounters; or, alternatively (ii) if two co-occurring species show the same thermoregulation pattern and their flight periods overlap, they might be avoiding competition by exhibiting different resource preferences or different food relocation behaviour.3. The ball-rolling dung beetles studied showed a hierarchical structure based on the species' endothermic capacity, measured as temperature excess [ T ex = difference between body temperature ( T b ) and ambient temperature ( T a )]. Those with a high T ex (10 -15 °C) were located exclusively at altitudes >1000 m a.s.l. On the coastal plains, species with a high T ex were restricted to flying at night when the T a was lower. Species with a lower T ex (less than 10 °C higher than T a ) were found in the coastal plains zone. 4. Where there was sympatry with similar trophic habits, the species involved showed very different thermal niches, and where there was significant overlap of thermal niches between sympatric species, trophic habits of species were very different.5. The results suggest that it is possible to use the concept of the thermal niche as a tool to explain interspecific interactions and the spatial distribution of species.

Aim  Landscape structure influences the distribution of animals, altering their movements and their ability to reach habitat patches. We analysed the spatial patterns of dung beetle species diversity in three differently structured natural landscapes in a Mediterranean protected area in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Location  Cabañeros National Park, Central Spain. Methods  Diversity components within (α) and among (β) the three main vegetation types in the reserve were compared by using a hierarchical nested design. These were forests, scrublands and grasslands embedded in three different landscapes, where each was the most dominant and structurally connected habitat. Results  Species richness of grassland habitat did not vary across landscapes, but forest habitat showed lower species richness in the grassland‐dominated landscape. Scrubland was the least species‐rich habitat, but here again there was no significant variation across landscapes. However, in all cases, there was a significant influence of habitat context (configuration of habitat patches within landscape matrix) on similarity of species composition. These tended to be more similar to the dominant landscape matrix where they were embedded, rather than to the same habitat type in other landscapes. Additive partitioning of diversity showed higher than expected values of β in all landscapes, which indicated a structured response. Highest values of β in the grassland‐dominated landscape suggest that this was the least connected landscape for dung beetles. Main conclusions  Our results suggest that in homogeneous conditions of climate and trophic resources, landscape structure may well be more important than habitat type as a determinant of dung beetle distribution in the Mediterranean.