Highest Elevation Recorded for a Nesting Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Americas

Alvarado, Fredy; Arias-Buriticá, Jorge Armando

doi:10.1649/0010-065x-69.4.789

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Interestingly, in the new world, the highest record for a Scarabaeinae dung beetle was found in the Colombian Andes at 4,550 m in a mountain system reaching 5,330 m, a height comparable to Mt. Kilimanjaro (Alvarado‐Roberto & Arias‐Buriticá, ). One reason for this striking difference could be that Mt.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate rather than dung resources predict dung beetle abundance and diversity along elevational and land use gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro

Gebert

Steffan‐Dewenter

Moretto

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim While elevational gradients in species richness constitute some of the best depicted patterns in ecology, there is a large uncertainty concerning the role of food resource availability for the establishment of diversity gradients in insects. Here, we analysed the importance of climate, area, land use and food resources for determining diversity gradients of dung beetles along extensive elevation and land use gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Location Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Taxon Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera). Methods Dung beetles were recorded with baited pitfall traps at 66 study plots along a 3.6 km elevational gradient. In order to quantify food resources for the dung beetle community in form of mammal defecation rates, we assessed mammalian diversity and biomass with camera traps. Using a multi‐model inference framework and path analysis, we tested the direct and indirect links between climate, area, land use and mammal defecation rates on the species richness and abundance of dung beetles. Results We found that the species richness of dung beetles declined exponentially with increasing elevation. Human land use diminished the species richness of functional groups exhibiting complex behaviour but did not have a significant influence on total species richness. Path analysis suggested that climate, in particular temperature and to a lesser degree precipitation, were the most important predictors of dung beetle species richness while mammal defecation rate was not supported as a predictor variable. Main conclusions Along broad climatic gradients, dung beetle diversity is mainly limited by climatic factors rather than by food resources. Our study points to a predominant role of temperature‐driven processes for the maintenance and origination of species diversity of ectothermic organisms, which will consequently be subject to ongoing climatic changes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%