Insect Effects on Bacteria and Fungi in Cattle Dung

Lussenhop, John; Kumar, R.; Wicklow, Donald T.; Lloyd, J. E.

doi:10.2307/3544549

Cited by 43 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…When beetles utilise dung pats, they dig small tunnels which weaken the pats and, at the same time, beetles inoculate the heart of pats with microorganisms as they carry spores of telluric fungi and microorganisms on their integument. Consequently, the presence of beetles stimulates microbial activity [2,12]. Under such conditions, pats progressively become soil annexes, with the network of tunnels making the colonisation of pats by edaphic mesofauna easier.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The negative effects of the residues of ivermectin in cattle dung using a sustained-release bolus on Aphodius constans (Duft.) (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae)

et al. 2001

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-This paper reports the findings of two trials into the effects of the treatment of cattle with ivermectin slow-release (SR) bolus on the larval development of the dung beetle Aphodius constans Duft. Rectal faecal samples were collected prior to treatment and every 3 and 2 weeks in a first and second trial, respectively, and up to 156 days post-administration of the SR bolus. Faecal ivermectin concentration reached a peak at 63 days post-treatment (1427 ng⋅g -1 ) and ivermectin was detected up to 147 days post-treatment in the first trial (7.2 ng⋅g -1 ). First stage larvae of A. constans were reared with control or contaminated dung and adult beetles were counted after emergence. In the first trial, the comparison of pairwise samples showed that ivermectin prevented the development of larval A. constans until day 105, while at day 135 the rate of emergence was still significantly lower than the corresponding series of control (p < 0.05). In the second trial, the difference between control and treated series remained significant until 143 days post-treatment, with no emergence until 128 days post-administration of SR bolus to cattle. These results show the negative effect of ivermectin on the development of larval A. constans, even at a low concentration (38.4 ng⋅g -1 ). The administration of ivermectin sustained-release bolus to cattle was highly effective in killing dung beetle larvae for approximately 143 days after treatment. The results were similar when dung was obtained from a single animal kept alone, or from a blending of faecal pats obtained from a group of animals kept in field conditions during the whole trial period.ivermectin / sustained-release (SR) bolus / cattle / dung beetle / rate of emergence / environmental risk Vet. Res. 32 (2001) [421][422][423][424][425][426][427] 421

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The negative effects of the residues of ivermectin in cattle dung using a sustained-release bolus on Aphodius constans (Duft.) (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae)

et al. 2001

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“…Small invertebrates, bacteria, and fungi appear on the surface and inside of dung pats because the fresh cattle droppings give off odors (Mohr 1943, Lussenhop et al 1980, Holter 1982. Although some studies (reviewed by Nichols et al 2008) have suggested the importance of the microflora (bacteria and fungi ) in regulating the activity and turnover of dung nutrients, macro-invertebrates such as beetles and flies are two major groups that contribute substantially to dung decomposition (Lussenhop et al 1986, Wu andSun 2010).…”

Section: Study Background and Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although many small invertebrate species can colonize and appear on the surface of and inside dung pats, subsequently leading to rapid biotic succession * P , 0.05; ** P , 0.01. (Mohr 1943, Lussenhop et al 1980, Holter 1982, we only manipulated the diversity and abundances of beetles at the start of the experiment. The nature of the experiment thus permits us to evaluate our results in comparison with other study systems.…”

Section: Role Of Predators In Ecosystem Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A brown-world cascade in the dung decomposer food web of an alpine meadow: effects of predator interactions and warming

Duffy

Reich

et al. 2011

Ecological Monographs

107

113

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Abstract. Top-down control has been extensively documented in food webs based on living plants, where predator limitation of herbivores can cascade to facilitate plant growth (the green-world hypothesis), particularly in grasslands and aquatic systems. Yet the ecosystem role of predators in detrital food webs is less explored, as is the potential effect of climate warming on detritus-based communities. We here show that predators have a ''brown-world'' role in decomposer communities via a cascading top-down control on plant growth, based on the results of an experiment that factorially manipulated presence and size of two predator species as well as temperature (warmed vs. unwarmed). The inclusion of predatory beetles significantly decreased abundance of coprophagous beetles and thus the rate of dung decomposition and productivity of plants growing surrounding the dung. Moreover, the magnitude of these decreases differed between predator species and, for dung loss, was temperature dependent. At ambient temperature, the larger predators tended to more strongly influence the dung loss rate than did the smaller predators; when both predators were present, the dung loss rate was higher relative to the treatments with the smaller predators but comparable to those with the larger ones, suggesting an antagonistic effect of predator interaction. However, warming substantially reduced dung decomposition rates and eliminated the effects of predation on dung decomposition. Although warming substantially decreased dung loss rates, warming only modestly reduced primary productivity. Consistent with these results, a second experiment exploring the influence of the two predator species and warming on dung loss over time revealed that predatory beetles significantly decreased the abundance of coprophagous beetles, which was positively correlated with dung loss rates. Moreover, experimental warming decreased the water content of dung and hence the survival of coprophagous beetles. These results confirm that the ''brown-world'' effect of predator beetles was due to cascading top-down control through coprophagous beetles to nutrient cycling and primary productivity. Our results also highlight potentially counterintuitive effects of climate warming. For example, global warming might significantly decrease animalmediated decomposition of organic matter and recycling of nutrients in a future warmed world.

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“…Hot spots of microbial and animal biodiversity and activity develop within and below dung pats (Lussenhop et al 1980;Scown & Baker 2006), thereby affecting the composition and structure of plant communities (Dai 2000). However, much remains to be known about similar processes in the wild (Bruun et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The impact of red howler monkey latrines on the distribution of main nutrients and on topsoil profiles in a tropical rain forest

et al. 2010

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Scarcity of organic matter and nutrients in the topsoil is a typical feature of lowland primary tropical rain forests. However, clumped defecation by vertebrate herbivore troops and further dung beetle processing may contribute to locally improve soil biological activity and plant growth.We studied the impact of clumped defecation by the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), a frugivorous primate, on the vertical distribution of topsoil (0-6 cm) main nutrients and microstructures in a tropical rain forest (French Guiana). Three latrines, where monkey troops regularly defecate, were sampled, together with adjoining controls for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and microscopic components.The vertical distribution of C and N was affected by clumped defecation: nutrients were mostly restricted to the top 2 cm in control areas while latrines exhibited homogeneously distributed C and N, resulting in higher C and N content below 2 cm. No marked effect of defecation was registered on Olsen P. A small although significant increase in pH (0.1-0.3 pH units) and a marked increase in soil respiration (¥1.5-2.5) were registered in latrines. Soil microstructures were studied by the small-volume method. Variation according to depth, site and clumped defecation was analysed by Redundancy Analysis. The three latrines were characterized by an increase in root-penetrated mineral-organic assemblages, mainly composed of recent and old earthworm faeces. The local stimulation of plant roots, microbial and earthworm activity was prominent, together with an increase in soil fertility. Consequences for the regeneration of tropical rain forests in the Amazonian basin were discussed, in the light of existing knowledge.

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Insect Effects on Bacteria and Fungi in Cattle Dung

Cited by 43 publications

References 11 publications

The negative effects of the residues of ivermectin in cattle dung using a sustained-release bolus on Aphodius constans (Duft.) (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae)

The negative effects of the residues of ivermectin in cattle dung using a sustained-release bolus on Aphodius constans (Duft.) (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae)

A brown-world cascade in the dung decomposer food web of an alpine meadow: effects of predator interactions and warming

The impact of red howler monkey latrines on the distribution of main nutrients and on topsoil profiles in a tropical rain forest

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