Habitat selection and offspring survival rate in three paracoprid dung beetles: the influence of soil type and soil moisture

Abstract

Sowig, P 1995 Habitat selection and offspnng survival rate m three paracopnd dung beetles the influence of soil type and soil moisture -Ecography 18 147-154Paracopnd dung beetles build brood chambers in the soil beneath a dung pat and provide them with dung Onthophagus species lay one egg into each chamber This paper deals with the influence of soil type and soil moisture on micro-habitat selection and survival of offspnng m three middle-European Onthophagus-species {O coenobita, O fracticomis and O vacca) Discnmination between sandy soils with three different loam contents (0%, 20%, 40%) and four different water contents (4%, 8%, 12%, 16%) was tested in the laboratory Dunng the first 24 h of each replicate beetles which colonized one of the patches did not distinguish between different soil conditions Emigration rates, measured as time when 50% of all individuals had left the patch, and numbers of brood chambers proved to be species specific and depended on soil moisture and soil type Survival rates of the larvae in the brood chambers were influenced nearly exclusively by soil moisture The results are discussed in relation to the ecology of the three species and in context with optimal foraging theones P Sowig, Biologisches Inst J (Zoologie),

Dung beetles as indicators of tropical forest restoration success: Is it possible to recover species and functional diversity?

“…Dung beetles are extremely sensitive to changes in vegetation structure, with species often showing patterns of fidelity to specific environmental properties (e.g. canopy cover, understorey vegetation, soil type and moisture) (Gardner et al, 2007;Halffter and Arellano, 2002;Horgan, 2007;Nichols et al, 2007;Noriega et al, 2007;Sowig, 1995). A higher degree of canopy cover can serve as a filter preventing the entry of open area species and increasing richness of forest-restricted species (Halffter and Arellano, 2002).…”

NIDIFICACIÓN DEL ESCARABAJO COPRÓFAGO Onthophagus curvicornis LATREILLE, 1811 (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE) EN CONDICIONES DE LABORATORIO.

“…La producción de masas nido se ve afectada por factores como la edad de los escarabajos, que pueden estar en la etapa previa a la madurez sexual o pueden estar muy viejos para generar nuevos nidos, lo cual está estrechamente relacionado con la época del año (González-Vainer & Morelli, 1999). La humedad del suelo también puede afectar la producción de masas nido en escarabajos del género Onthophagus, en este grupo las preferencias de humedad son específicas para cada especie (Sowig, 1995;Barkhouse & Ridsdill-Smith, 1985); y también podrían explicar porque no se generaron bolas nido en el 40 % de las cámaras de cría.…”

Dung Beetles Associated with Agroecosystems of Southern Brazil: Relationship with Soil Properties

“…Properties such as moisture content can promote the survival and reproductive success of some dung beetle species (Sowig, 1995;Martínez et al, 2009). In crop areas and pastures, it has been observed that the recycling of nutrients and soil bioturbation exerted by Scarabaeinae beetles allows plants to use soil resources in a more efficient way, and they show better performance (Bornemissza 1970;Galbiati et al, 1995;Bang et al, 2005;Hanafy, 2012).…”