Summary of the morphological and ecological traits of Central European dung beetles

Buse, Jörn; Šlachta, M.; Sladecek, Frantisek Xaver Jiri; Carpaneto, Giuseppe M.

doi:10.1111/ens.12313

Cited by 15 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Open temperate habitats generally host more tunneller species than forest habitats, which is in contrast with most tropical regions where most species are adapted to forest conditions (Hanski & Cambefort, ). Tunnellers show a high variation in body mass and exhibit, on average, higher body mass than dwellers (Buse et al ., ). The abundance of large species explained variation in dung removal better than any other community measure along a disturbance gradient in Amazonian rainforest (Braga et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Table A1. List of species sampled with 12 dung-baited traps, their abundance and their respective traits: body mass, nesting strategy, length of activity period, and dung specialisation (Buse et al, 2018). LT, large tunneller; ST, small tunneller; SD, small dweller; LD, large dweller.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used information on body size, nesting strategy, length of activity period, and dung specialisation as functional traits (Buse et al, 2018). Individual dry body mass for each species was calculated using the regression equation [body mass (mg) = 0.038 × mean body length (mm) 2.46 ] provided by Ganihar (1997) and previously used for beetles by Ulrich (2007).…”

Section: Functional Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stronger dung removal in forests compared with grassland is driven by trait composition and biomass of dung beetles

Buse

Entling

2019

Ecological Entomology

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1. Ecosystem processes depend on the biomass of the involved organisms, but their functional diversity may play an additional role. In particular, the exclusion of key functional groups through habitat disturbance may lead to the breakdown of ecosystem functions. Dung removal is an important process contributing to nutrient cycling and thus productivity in grazed ecosystems. 2. This study investigated the role of different functional groups of dung beetles in dung removal in different habitats within a wood‐pasture in two different seasons. An experimental setting with 12 blocks and 108 dung pads was used to investigate short‐term dung removal over 1 week of exposure. 3. Dung removal was most strongly affected by habitat type, with almost 40% lower levels in grassland than in adjacent forest and forest gaps. Of all assemblage characteristics, total biomass of tunneller species was the strongest predictor of dung removal, whereas functional diversity showed no significant effect. In accordance with the dung removal pattern at habitat type level, densities of large tunnellers were suppressed in grassland compared with forest. 4. It is concluded that dung removal is habitat‐specific and large tunnellers play a disproportionate role in this important ecosystem function in temperate forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Functional Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stronger dung removal in forests compared with grassland is driven by trait composition and biomass of dung beetles

Buse

Entling

2019

Ecological Entomology

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“…Using various types of analyses to process data on around 80,000 individuals, we found that assemblages in wood pastures showed an intermediate or transient position between the assemblages of forests and pastures, which were distinct. In Central Europe, the majority of dung beetle species inhabit open or semiopen grasslands, and there are fewer woodland species [50] (Scarabaeinae: mostly grassland species, Geotrupidae: mostly forest species, Aphodiinae: both forest and grassland species [15]). Our study showed similar patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wood Pastures: A Transitional Habitat between Forests and Pastures for Dung Beetle Assemblages

Somay

Szigeti

Boros

et al. 2020

Forests

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Wood pastures are home to a variety of species, including the dung beetle. Dung beetles are an important functional group in decomposition. Specifically, in terms of livestock manure, they not only contribute to nutrient cycling but are key players in supporting human and animal health. Dung beetles, however, are declining in population, and urgent recommendations are needed to reverse this trend. Recommendations need to be based on solid evidence and specific habitats. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of an intermediate habitat type between forests and pastures. Wood pastures are key areas for dung beetle conservation. For this reason, we compared dung beetle assemblages among forests, wood pastures, and grasslands. We complemented this with studies on the effects of dung type and season at three Hungarian locations. Pitfall traps baited with cattle, sheep, or horse dung were used in forests, wood pastures, and pasture habitats in spring, summer, and autumn. Dung beetle assemblages of wood pastures showed transient characteristics between forests and pastures regarding their abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, assemblage composition, and indicator species. We identified a strong effect of season and a weak of dung type. Assemblage composition proved to be the most sensitive measure of differences among habitats. The conservation of dung beetles, and the decomposition services they provide, need continuous livestock grazing to provide fresh dung, as well as the maintenance of wood pastures where dung beetle assemblages typical of forests and pastures can both survive.

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“…The majority of the Curculionidae feed exclusively on plants, including seeds, stems, flower heads and roots (Barratt, Cock & Oberprieler, 2018). The Aphodiidae is mainly detritivore, feeding on plant residue or dung produced by various animals (Finch et al, 2020;Buse et al, 2018). Generally speaking, the aforementioned three soil macro-faunal taxa could potentially survive on plants or plant residues.…”

Section: Specific Responses Of Different Taxa To the Variations In Enmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil macro-fauna respond to environmental variations along a coastal-inland gradient

Zheng

Tao

Wang

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Varied environmental conditions in coastal-inland zones tend to influence soil faunal communities. However, few studies have focused on the responses of soil fauna to environmental variations along the coastal-inland gradient. In order to better understand the aforementioned responses, a total of 80 soil macro-faunal samples were collected at the five different distances from the coastline of China’s Bohai Bay. The results revealed that the compositions, structural characteristics and diversity of the soil macro-fauna varied among the different habitats. With the increases in the distance from the sea, the individual density, richness and diversity levels of the soil macro-fauna all first increased and then decreased. The individual density, richness and diversity values were all at their maximum at 30 km from the sea. The Edge effect promoted unique and rare soil macro-faunal taxa. Formicidae, Curculionidae and Aphodiidae were found to be the edge taxa. Agelenidae, Liocranidae and Nematocera were considered to be indicator taxa of severe sea effects. Paradoxosomatidae was an indicator taxon of slight effects. Overall, the environmental variations along the coastal-inland gradient were found to have the potential to affect the soil macro-faunal communities, and the different taxa of the soil macro-fauna responded to those variations in different ways. This study further revealed the processes and mechanisms of the sea influencing the soil macro-faunal communities, which had been caused by the coastal-inland gradient. The results of this study also provided a theoretical basis for developing future biodiversity guidelines for coastal ecosystems.

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Summary of the morphological and ecological traits of Central European dung beetles

Cited by 15 publications

References 47 publications

Stronger dung removal in forests compared with grassland is driven by trait composition and biomass of dung beetles

Stronger dung removal in forests compared with grassland is driven by trait composition and biomass of dung beetles

Wood Pastures: A Transitional Habitat between Forests and Pastures for Dung Beetle Assemblages

Soil macro-fauna respond to environmental variations along a coastal-inland gradient

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