Influence of land use on the trophic niche overlap of dung beetles in the semideciduous Atlantic forest of Argentina

Gómez, Victoria C. Giménez; Verdú, José R.; Gómez-Cifuentes, Andrés; Vaz‐de‐Mello, Fernando Z.; Zurita, Gustavo A.

doi:10.1111/icad.12299

Cited by 27 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(91 reference statements)

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“…As we expected, cattle systems preserving canopy cover (silvopastoral systems) also preserved richness and composition of the dung beetle community of the native forest in two distant areas of the humid Chaco region. Consistent with our results, a series of previous studies in tropical and subtropical forests comparing open (pastures) and closed habitats showed that canopy cover was the primary factor determining dung beetle communities (Halffter & Matthews, ; Halffter & Arellano, ; Damborsky et al ., ; De Farias et al ., ; Alvarado et al ., ; Gómez‐Cifuentes et al ., ; Giménez Gómez et al ., ). In our study, silvopastoral systems preserving canopy also preserved microclimatic conditions and vegetation structure from the native forest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Livestock areas with canopy cover sustain dung beetle diversity in the humid subtropical Chaco forest

Alonso

Zurita

Bellocq

2019

Insect Conserv Diversity

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1. We assessed differences in the alpha and beta diversity of dung beetles in native forest and two livestock systems (with and without canopy cover) typical of the Argentine Chaco region and related the dung beetle assemblages to environmental conditions. 2. Dung beetles were sampled in native forest and two livestock systems in the spring (2015)(2016), in two areas of the humid Chaco region in northern Argentina. In each area, five sampling sites were selected for each habitat type, and ten pitfall traps were baited with human faeces and carrion and placed at each site.3. The livestock systems with canopy cover preserved the environmental conditions from the native forest (temperature and vegetation structure) and the richness and composition of the native forest dung beetle community in the two areas studied, whereas the open pastures exhibited higher ground temperature, simplified vegetation structure and lower dung beetle richness and similarity in species composition in relation to the native forest.4. In livestock systems of the humid Chaco, the canopy cover is the main determinant of dung beetle communities through the maintenance of temperature and humidity. In the light of these results, livestock production in silvopastoral systems preserving canopy cover can be an alternative compatible with conservation of the dung beetle diversity of native forests. Considering the central role of dung beetles in maintaining soil structure and fertility (through the relocation of cow dung), silvopastoral systems will probably maintain the productivity compared to open pastures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Livestock areas with canopy cover sustain dung beetle diversity in the humid subtropical Chaco forest

Alonso

Zurita

Bellocq

2019

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…Within each habitat, we selected three sites (or replicates), separated by a minimum distance of 30 km to increase regional representativeness. In relation to the microclimatic conditions, the native forest and agroforestry parklands show similar temperature at ground level throughout the entire day, whereas open pastures show higher temperature at ground level during the day and similar temperature at ground level during the night 5 (Supplementary Table S1, Fig. 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In each habitat, we established 10 pitfall traps (3 habitats × 10 traps = 30 traps in total), five baited with omnivorous dung and five with carrion (to attract both coprophagous and necrophagous species). We divided the 24-h period in two periods, based on changes in ground level temperature 5 and the time of sunrise and sunset (data provided by the "Servicio de Hidrografía Naval Argentino"): (1) from 7:00 to 18:00 h and (2) from 18:00 to 7:00 h ( Fig. 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To perform eco-physiological experiments, we collected dung beetles in spring and summer (October to February) between 2015 and 2017, by using pitfall traps baited with human feces 5 . The full day (24 h) was divided in two periods based on changes in temperature and the time of sunrise and sunset in spring: (1) from 7:00 to 18:00 h (light blue period) and (2) from 18:00 to 7:00 h (gray period).…”

Section: Eco-physiological Bioassaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal niche helps to explain the ability of dung beetles to exploit disturbed habitats

Gómez

Verdú

Zurita

2020

Sci Rep

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in terrestrial ecosystems, insects face a wide range of temperatures among habitats and time; consequently, the thermal niche is one of the main determinants of habitat selection and temporal patterns of activity. the replacement of native forests changes micro-climatic conditions and reduces the diversity of dung beetles; however, the physiological mechanisms behind these changes are not clear. We explore the role of the thermal niche in dung beetles to explain the ability of native species to exploit human-created habitats. Using infrared thermography, we measured variables associated with the thermal niche in 17 native species and used linear mixed-effects model and ANOVAs to compare disturbed habitats and the native forest. endothermy and body mass explained the ability of dung beetles to exploit human-created open habitats. Small and diurnal species with very low endothermy were able to exploit deforested open habitats; evening/nocturnal/crepuscular species showed similar body mass and high endothermy in all habitats. Regarding thermoregulation mechanisms, none of the species (except one) showed defined or efficient mechanisms of physiological thermoregulation. in view of the accelerated process of forest replacement and climate change, a more profound understanding of the physiological requirements of species is essential to predict and mitigate future extinctions. At local scales, anthropogenic habitat disturbance usually modifies microclimatic conditions (e.g. forest canopy loss), resulting in novel thermal challenges for organisms (e.g. open habitats) 1,2. In tropical and subtropical forests, recent studies have shown a marked reduction in the abundance and taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles in land uses with complete loss of canopy cover, such as pastures devoted to cattle raising 2-4. In contrast, land uses preserving canopy cover (such as tree plantations and silvopastoral systems) can partially preserve the structure of the dung beetle assemblages of the native forest 2,5-7. Differences in dung beetle diversity among land uses differing in canopy cover have been associated mainly with a marked increase in ground level temperature 2,8-10 and with the low tolerance of forest dung beetles to high temperatures (typical of open habitats during the day) 3,11-13. Although previous studies have suggested that the physiological intolerance of forest dung beetles to high temperatures is a potential constraint to exploit disturbed habitats 2,3,14 , this hypothesis has never been tested. This knowledge gap on dung beetle thermal biology led us to ask the following question: can the thermal niche of dung beetles explain the occupation of disturbed habitats, and taxonomic and functional changes reported in previous studies? We tested this central question in the southern Atlantic forest of South America, one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems worldwide 15-17. The physiological responses of insects, especially those associated with temperature (endothermy, thermoregulation, thermal tolera...

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“…It is also known that tree vegetation and the presence of native vegetation 37,38 increase the richness of several groups that depend on above-ground vegetation and feed as predators or on pollen 39 or as parasitoids 40 . In silvopastoral systems with Acacia, richness of certain groups was similar to neighbouring native forests 9 and these systems contain greater richness than conventional pastures 41 . Not all groups responded with increases in the silvopasture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Differences in the insect fauna associated to a monocultural pasture and a silvopasture in Southeastern Brazil

Paiva

Auad²,

Veríssimo

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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A major challenge for global agriculture is the reduction of the environmental impacts caused by meat and dairy production, and the conversion of monocultural pastures to silvopastoral systems has emerged as an important ally in this process. In order to understand the effects of this conversion we analysed 4 years of sampling of the insect fauna from a conventional monocultural pasture and a silvopastoral system in Minas Gerais, Brazil. We aimed to determine whether the changes caused by the conversion affected the abundance, richness and diversity of the insect orders found in the two systems. Total abundance, richness and diversity did not differ between the two systems, but we detected a significant difference in community composition. Several insect orders showed differences in either abundance, richness or diversity between the two systems, and several families of Hymenoptera, which contains pollinators and natural enemies, showed important increases in the silvopasture. Conversion of monocultural pastures to silvopastures can have important consequences on insect fauna involved in essential ecosystem functions, and the implementation of silvopastures at larger scales has the potential to benefit biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision at the landscape scale. Bovine livestock is one of the most important sectors of Brazilian agribusiness, and consequently of Brazil's national economy 1. Over 80% of the herd depends on pastures as its major source of food. Pastures are a practical and economically efficient form of producing and offering food to cattle, since they are resistant to fluctuations in grain prices, guaranteeing relatively low costs of production 2,3. An important characteristic of the dynamics of Brazilian pastures has been the substitution of native pastures, composed of native grassland ecosystems in the Cerrado and Pampas, with pastures sown with exotic grass species, especially from the genus Brachiaria, which currently constitute over 50% Brazilian pastures 2. Intensive management of agricultural ecosystems and inappropriate pasture management, such as a lack of nutrient addition, result in the simplification of biological communities, and are the main cause of pasture degradation 4,5. In the search for production systems that minimise the effects of land degradation and increase the profit obtained by farmers, agroforests have emerged as an important alternative 6. Agroforests are increasingly used in Latin America to enhance biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. The adoption of agroforests in pastures, in the form of silvopastoral systems, creates an environment that buffers temperature extremes and is more comfortable for the animals, reduces erosion from runoff and wind and increases soil biomass, thus contributing to nutrient cycling 7. Furthermore, combining pastures with trees creates a diversity of microclimates that increases insect diversity 8. The effect of conversion to silvopastoral systems on specific insect groups has been studied previously 9...

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Influence of land use on the trophic niche overlap of dung beetles in the semideciduous Atlantic forest of Argentina

Cited by 27 publications

References 68 publications

Livestock areas with canopy cover sustain dung beetle diversity in the humid subtropical Chaco forest

Livestock areas with canopy cover sustain dung beetle diversity in the humid subtropical Chaco forest

Thermal niche helps to explain the ability of dung beetles to exploit disturbed habitats

Differences in the insect fauna associated to a monocultural pasture and a silvopasture in Southeastern Brazil

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