Thermoregulatory syndromes of two sympatric dung beetles with low energy costs

Verdú, José R.; Cortez, Vieyle; Oliva, Daniela; Giménez-Gómez, Victoria

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103945

Cited by 10 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, the CT max values reported here were distinctly lower than those of dung beetles in other biomes (e.g. Gaston & Chown, 1999;Verdú et al, 2019;Machekano et al, 2021), perhaps as a result of the buffering effects of tropical canopies on forest floor thermal maxima (Jucker et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

“…A solid line represents the estimated effect of T max with 95% confidence intervals denoted by dashed lines old-growth forest to oil palm plantation, there is turnover from communities containing C. dayacus, to those containing C. renaudpauliani. The physiological differences between these species shown here may drive their niche partitioning, as it does in other sympatric dung beetle species (Verdú et al, 2019). The intraspecific variation in C. renaudpauliani CT max also suggests plasticity in their physiology (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Tropical dung beetle community responses have been linked to temperature gradients associated with land‐use, vegetation and topography (Gebert et al, 2019; Larsen, 2012; Williamson et al, 2021). Thermal niche differentiation is an important factor influencing variation in dung beetle diversity (Verdú et al, 2007), and recently studies have linked temporal and spatial differences in dung beetle abundance and activity to physiology (Gotcha et al, 2020; Verdú et al, 2019). Critical thermal maxima (CT max ) are being used increasingly to demonstrate how invertebrate physiology is linked to responses to microclimate in tropical forests (Boyle et al, 2020; Kaspari et al, 2015), and to investigate dung beetle ecology across different biomes (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Critical thermal maxima (CT max ) are being used increasingly to demonstrate how invertebrate physiology is linked to responses to microclimate in tropical forests (Boyle et al, 2020; Kaspari et al, 2015), and to investigate dung beetle ecology across different biomes (e.g. Gotcha et al, 2020; Machekano et al, 2021; Sheldon & Tewksbury, 2014; Verdú et al, 2019). That said, studies to‐date on dung beetle CT max have been restricted to investigating one or a handful of species (with the notable exception of early work by Gaston & Chown, 1999), rather than community‐level patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil palm–forest mosaic

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Temperature change is an often-assumed, but rarely tested, mechanism by which sensitive species may decline in forest landscapes following habitat degradation, fragmentation and destruction.2. Traits mediate how species respond to environmental change, with physiological, morphological and behavioural traits key to determining the response of ectotherms to temperature.3. We collected data on traits linked to thermal sensitivity (critical thermal maxima, body size, cuticle lightness and pilosity) for 46 dung beetle species (Scarabaeinae) in a forest-oil palm mosaic in Malaysian Borneo. By combining these data with a largescale community sampling campaign (>59,000 individuals sampled from >600 traps) and an airborne Light Detection and Ranging-derived thermal map, we investigated how traits mediate species-and community-level responses to temperature. 4. Using hierarchical models, we found that critical thermal maxima predicted how species respond to maximum temperatures. These results were mirrored in communitylevel analyses alongside similar patterns in other thermal traits. Increased body size and decreased pilosity were associated with higher temperatures, while cuticle lightness showed a complex relationship with temperature across the disturbance gradient. 5. Our findings highlight the potential mechanisms by whichforest specialists decline in human-modified landscapes, resulting in changes to community patterns and processes.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil palm–forest mosaic

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The results obtained support the idea that, in dung beetles (and probably in most heterothermic insects), endothermy is an important physiological variable that could explain, at least partially, the drastic loss of species after forest conversion to open habitats and the ability of a reduced number of species to tolerate the new extreme conditions. Although these results are novel, two observations should be considered for future studies: (1) the inclusion of other variables associated with temperature (such as the start of heat stress temperature and heat regulation temperature described by Verdú et al 69 ) would help us to better explain the observed patterns, and (2) a larger number of individuals per species (mainly in the case of species that use open habitats) would standardize their populations to avoid biased results and greatly enrich the results of this type of study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Gómez

Verdú

Zurita

2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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...

show abstract

Declining Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Abundance and Diversity in the Neotropics: Causes and Conservation Strategies

Arellano,

Ortega-Martínez,

Rivera

et al. 2024

Insect Decline and Conservation in the Neotropics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Thermoregulatory syndromes of two sympatric dung beetles with low energy costs

Cited by 10 publications

References 37 publications

Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil palm–forest mosaic

Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil palm–forest mosaic

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

Declining Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Abundance and Diversity in the Neotropics: Causes and Conservation Strategies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About