scholarly journals Variegated tropical landscapes conserve diverse dung beetle communities

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiane Costa ◽  
Victor Hugo F. Oliveira ◽  
Rafaella Maciel ◽  
Wallace Beiroz ◽  
Vanesca Korasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Vegetation Heterogeneity ◽  
Tropical Landscapes

BackgroundConserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes is a major challenge to scientists and conservationists. Current rates of deforestation, fragmentation, and land use intensification are producing variegated landscapes with undetermined values for the conservation of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigate the importance of tropical variegated landscapes to biodiversity conservation, using dung beetle as focal taxa.MethodsThe study was carried out in 12 variegated landscapes where dung beetles were sampled using six pitfall traps, 30 m apart from each other, along a transect in each studied landscape use and cover classes—LUCC (forest fragment and corridor, coffee plantation, and pasture). We baited each pitfall trap with 30 g of human feces and left open for a 48 h period. We also measured three environmental variables reflecting structural differences among the studied classes: canopy cover, local vegetation heterogeneity and soil sand content.ResultsWe collected 52 species and 2,695 individuals of dung beetles. We observed significant differences in the mean species richness, abundance and biomass among classes, with forest fragments presenting the highest values, forest corridors and coffee plantations presenting intermediate values, and pastures the lowest values. Regarding community structure, we also found significant differences among classes. Canopy cover was the only variable explaining variation in dung beetle species richness, abundance, biomass, and community structure. The relative importance of spatial turnover was greater than nestedness-resultant component in all studied landscapes.DiscussionThis study evaluated the ecological patterns of dung beetle communities in variegated tropical landscapes highlighting the importance of these landscapes for conservation of tropical biodiversity. However, we encourage variegation for the management of landscapes that have already been fragmented or as a complementary initiative of current conservation practices (e.g., protection of natural habitats and establishment of reserves).

The Effect of Anthropization on Sarcophagidae (Diptera: Calyptratae) Community Structure: An Assessment on Different Types of Habitats in the Humid Chaco Ecoregion of Argentina

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1468-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matias I Dufek ◽  
Dario D Larrea ◽  
Miryam P Damborsky ◽  
Pablo R Mulieri
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Cattle Farm ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Spatial Turnover ◽  
Main Driver

Abstract Sarcophagidae (Diptera) are of great interest from a veterinary, medical, and forensic viewpoint, and are potential bioindicators for environmental impact assessments. In this study, we evaluated changes in abundance, species richness, and diversity of flesh flies in different habitat types in the Humid Chaco ecoregion of South America: 1) anthropized habitats: urban, cattle farm, and alfalfa crop, and 2) natural habitats: savanna and forest. We hypothesized that sarcophagid fly community parameters are affected by the anthropization and that spatial turnover will contribute more to the overall beta diversity than nestedness between habitats. In each habitat, samplings were conducted monthly from March 2015 to February 2016 in 25 sites, 5 per habitat, totaling 300 independent samples at the end of the study. We collected 5,790 Sarcophagidae (55 species). Community parameters of Sarcophagidae were evaluated and compared. The ecological effects of anthropization and habitat type were observed in the present study. As expected, our results showed the highest abundance, species richness, and diversity in the savanna and forest habitats (natural), whereas the lowest values were registered in the urban and alfalfa crop habitats, supporting the hypotheses of anthropization as the main driver of diversity loss. In addition, sarcophagid assemblages differed between all habitats and the overall dissimilarity was structured by spatial turnover. The main conclusion of this research is that flesh fly community structure is greatly affected by anthropization and habitat type, and this would be related to canopy cover and microclimate conditions of each environment.

Changes in dung beetle communities along a gradient of tropical forest disturbance in South-East Asia

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 677-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Ser Huay Lee ◽  
Ian Qian Wei Lee ◽  
Susan Lee-Hong Lim ◽  
Johannes Huijbregts ◽  
Navjot S. Sodhi
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Biodiversity Changes

With increasing conversion of South-East Asian forests to human-dominated landscapes, dramatic changes in biodiversity are likely to have ramifications on ecosystem processes (Sodhi & Brook 2006). Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) have been used to investigate how biodiversity changes affect ecosystem functions (Larsen et al. 2005, Slade et al. 2007). Dung beetles provide important ecosystem services such as dung removal and secondary seed dispersal (Nichols et al. 2008) and have been shown to be reliable indicators of tropical forest disturbance (Gardner et al. 2008, Klein 1989). Here, we determine the effects of forest disturbance on the species richness of dung beetles and ecosystem functions they perform in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. As far as we know, there has been no known study published on dung beetle ecology on the Malay Peninsula. In this study, we test the hypothesis that old-growth forests contain dung beetle communities of higher species richness, abundance, biomass and larger body size. Previous studies have shown that changes in dung beetle communities have the potential to disrupt ecosystem services in natural habitats (Larsen et al. 2005, Mittal 1993). We also investigate whether dung removal is affected by forest disturbance and test the hypothesis that dung removal is reduced in more disturbed forests compared with less-disturbed forests.

Diversity and body size of dung beetles attracted to different dung types along a tropical land-use gradient in Sulawesi, Indonesia

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahabuddin ◽  
Purnama Hidayat ◽  
Sjafrida Manuwoto ◽  
Woro A. Noerdjito ◽  
Teja Tscharntke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Habitat Disturbance ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Habitat Types

Abstract:Dung beetles are a functionally important component of most terrestrial ecosystems, but communities change with habitat disturbance and deforestation. In this study, we tested if dung beetle ensembles on dung of introduced cattle and of the endemic anoa, a small buffalo, are affected differentially by habitat disturbance. Therefore, we exposed 10 pitfall traps, five baited with anoa and five baited with cattle dung, per site in six habitat types ranging from natural and selectively logged rain forest to three types of agroforestry system (characterized by different management intensity) and open areas (n = 4 replicate sites per habitat type) at the margin of Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. We found 28 species, 43% of which were endemic to Sulawesi. Species richness, abundance and biomass declined from natural forest towards open area. Large-bodied species appeared to be more sensitive to habitat disturbance and the ratio of large to small-sized dung beetles declined with land-use intensity. Although selectively logged forest and cocoa agroforestry systems had lower species richness compared with natural forest, they appeared to maintain a high portion of species originally inhabiting forest sites. The similarity of dung beetle ensembles recorded at forest and agroforestry sites reflects the high similarity of some habitat variables (e.g. vegetation structure and microclimate) between both habitat types compared with open areas. Species richness and abundances as well as species composition, which was characterized by decreases in mean body size, changed with land-use intensity, indicating that dung type is less important than habitat type for determining ensemble structure of these Indonesian dung beetles.

scholarly journals Hymenopteran Parasitoid Diversity & Tri-Trophic Interactions: the Effects of Habitat Fragmentation in Wellington, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Franz-Rudolf Schnitzler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Plant Richness ◽  
Parasitoid Community ◽  
Parasitism Rates

<p>Habitat fragmentation and the resulting decline in biodiversity through the loss of habitat are thought to be the main threat to insect extinctions. According to the trophic level hypothesis, habitat fragmentation affects parasitoids more severely than their herbivorous hosts. Parasitoids also may be correlated with plant species richness, because plants host a variety of phytophagous insects acting as hosts for parasitoids, or plants provide food or act as shelter for parasitoids. In this study, the effects of the forest fragment properties; area, isolation, percentage of residential area surrounding focal fragments and plant richness on parasitic wasps and their interactions were examined. These fragmentation effects were examined in 10 urban native bush remnants in the Wellington and Hutt Valley region of the lower North Island, New Zealand. Fragmentation effects on species abundance, richness and diversity and on community assemblages were examined for the wasp families Ichneumonidae, Pompilidae and Proctotrupidae. Correlations between beta diversity of the plant community and the parasitoid community were analysed and the study investigated whether individual parasitoid occurrences can be predicted by the range of their host's host plants. This study focused on interactions between the kawakawa moth larva Cleora scriptaria, its primary host plant Macropiper excelsum and the parasitism rates by two parasitoids Aleiodes declanae (an endemic species) and Meteorus pulchricornis (an exotic species) and the herbivory caused by C. scriptaria larvae. In addition to interaction responses to forest fragmentation properties, interaction responses were also examined with respect to the properties of the plot and individual plant. Individual species showed different trends in response to the fragmentation properties, making interpretation of a general community response difficult. The abundance, richness and diversity of small-bodied parasitoids were inversely related to increasing area and plant species richness. Parasitoid community composition changed with fragment isolation and plant species richness. Ichneumonidae strongly responded to isolation in one year, whereas the Pompilidae responded to plant species richness. The Proctotrupidae community structure showed no response to any of the fragmentation properties. Correlations between plant and parasitoid community structures were not significant and individual parasitoid-plant associations were weak and inconclusive. Parasitism rates for A. declanae were significantly higher in more isolated fragments with smaller trees, and were negatively affected by overall parasitism rates, more so in isolated fragments. Parasitism rates by M. pulchricornis responded positively to larval densities and declined with increasing plant richness. Herbivory was positively related to the abundance of M. excelsum, tree size and larval density. The current study provides evidence that the forest fragment properties examined are, on their own, not always sufficient predictors of community structure and interactions for parasitoids. Aspects of the results from this thesis conflict with the trophic-level hypothesis with species responding in a negative or positive way, or not responding at all to forest fragmentation effects. The findings of this thesis support to conserving species diversity by maintaining and enhancing all types of existing forest fragments to prevent species extinctions.</p>

scholarly journals Floristic Composition and Community Structure of Epiphytic Angiosperms in an Urban Forest Fragment in the Eastern Amazon

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josélia Rozanny Vieira Pacheco ◽  
Felipe Fajardo Villela Antolin Barberena
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Vascular Epiphytes

Vascular epiphytes are one of the most important forest components, contributing to microclimatic maintenance. These plants find ideal conditions for development in the Amazon due to the spatial heterogeneity and high temperature and humidity typical of this biome. In recent years, the Brazilian Amazon has undergone dramatic changes in its landscape, mainly due to the increase in deforestation and fire rates. We present here the floristic composition and analyze the community structure of epiphytic angiosperms of an urban forest fragment in Eastern Amazon. A total of 71 epiphytic individuals were recorded belonging to eight species and four families. Orchidaceae was the most representative family, corroborating the pattern for surveys of epiphytic diversity in the Neotropical region. Epiphytic species were found on 24 individuals of 10 tree species. The epiphytic importance value (IVe) was low for all species, except for Aechmea tocantina and Rhipsalis baccifera. Cactaceae was the family with the highest IVe. Most epiphytes were found in the crown of trees (83.1%). The diversity index of the fragment was H’ = 1.80 and the equity index was J= 0.87, reflecting the absence of highly dominant species. Conservation of urban forest fragments is necessary for the maintenance of epiphytic flora and ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Effects of a recalcitrant understory fern layer in an enclosed tropical restoration experiment

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 99-118
Author(s):  
Luis C. Beltrán ◽  
Karla María Aguilar-Dorantes ◽  
Henry F. Howe
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Dispersal Mode ◽  
Seed Addition ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Forest Strata

Establishing mixed-species tree plantings and fencing them to protect seedlings from herbivory is a valuable strategy for reconnecting forest fragments separated by agropastoral lands. However, fencing may provide exotic plants with the escape from herbivory required to invade the understory of planted communities. Here we take advantage of such a situation to ask how the identity of planted species and the resulting canopy cover influenced invasion success by the Asian swordtail fern (Nephrolepis brownii Desv. Nephrolepidaceae) in a 13-year-old tropical restoration experiment. Through a seed addition experiment, we also evaluated the effects the ferns had on recruiting seedlings. We found that the invasion was most acute in the unplanted control plots where canopy cover was consistently scarce. Frond density correlated negatively with canopy cover, though most of the variance in the model is explained by the design of our experiment (r2m = .161, r2c = .460). Between planting treatments that differed in the dispersal mode of the planted trees, the wind-dispersed treatment had higher fern density and longer fronds than the animal-dispersed treatment. The animal-dispersed treatment had the highest recruiting species richness, which was negatively correlated with fern density (r2 = .748). The seed addition experiment confirmed that mortality rates increased where frond density was higher (F1,41 = 7.159, p = .011) and germination rates were lowered for the smaller-seeded species (F1,42 = 13.2, p = .002). To prevent recalcitrant understory layers from establishing in plantings in the future, we recommend: (1) establishing larger plantings or expanding existing ones to minimize edge effects (particularly light filtration), (2) supplementing young plantings with additional seedlings to prevent canopy gaps from forming, and (3) planting an assemblage of species that cover the full forest strata and have consistently full tree-canopies.

scholarly journals Effects of Forest Fragment Size and Successional Stage on Mixed-Species Bird Flocks in Southeastern Brazil

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Maldonado-Coelho ◽  
Miguel  Marini
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Mixed Species Flocks

Abstract We analyzed patterns of species richness, size, structure, and composition of mixed-species flocks in relation to forest fragment size and forest successional stage during dry and rainy seasons, at the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Three forest fragments (1.7, 50, and 200 ha) were used for fragment size analysis, and two fragments (200 and 300 ha) were used for successional stage analysis. Fragment size and season affected flock richness, size, stability, and composition. In the 1.7-ha fragment, flock species richness, size, and stability were significantly different only during the rainy season. Fragment successional stage also influenced flock richness and size, although season did not. Flock composition also had changes related to fragment successional stage. Fragment geometry seems to be an important factor influencing flock structure and composition.

scholarly journals Bird assembly in restinga reforested areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Erich De Freitas Mariano ◽  
Arnaldo Honorato Vieira-Filho ◽  
Gustavo Alves Toledo Da Costa ◽  
Helder Farias Pereira De Araujo ◽  
Malva Isabel Medina Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Different Ages ◽  
The Difference

Fragmentation is one of environmental degradation and reduction of biodiversity causes, including in bird communities, mainly in Atlantic Forest areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in richness and functional groups structure in the ornitofauna from a Restinga forest fragment and four areas with different ages of reforestation. We selected five forest fragments in a Restinga area in the state of Paraiba. A native fragment (Control Area-AC) and four fragments that have undergone a mining process and present different ages of reforestation (1989, 1997, 2001 and 2003). The avifauna samples occurred in four expeditions between November 2006 and April 2008 and counted with a total effort of 2700 net.m2 per expedition. Statistical tests verified richness differences between studied areas, as well as the composition of their functional groups. In general, 90 bird species were recorded, and the highest reforestation age area presented the highest richness (n = 51 spp.). The species richness comparisons indicated that the difference in the richness between AC and reforested areas is not statistically significant. The similarity analysis indicates that reforested areas share a large amount of species and AC has a great differentiation in composition. This differentiation is explained by the significant presence of frugivorous, nectarivorous, leaf and understory-insectivorous species. Changes in species richness and composition in degraded areas are expected and reforested areas usually have a smaller number of forest-dependent species due to the deficiency of available resources. The recovery of areas by reforestation are important conservation strategies, however there is need for management measures that promote the enrichment of these areas and the availability of resources for species dependent on environments Forest.

scholarly journals Indirect restoration of ecological interactions: reintroduction of a dung-beetle associated primate increases the recruitment of large seeds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna R. Landim ◽  
Fernando A. S. Fernandez ◽  
Alexandra S. Pires
Keyword(s):  
Plant Regeneration ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Secondary Seed Dispersal

AbstractThe biased loss of large and medium frugivores alters seed dispersal and plant regeneration. Species reintroductions have been proposed as a strategy to reverse the consequences of species loss. However, the effects of reintroductions on ecological processes are seldom accessed, which hinders the comprehension of reintroductions’ potential to reestablish functioning ecosystems. In this study, we investigate the effect of howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) reintroduction on the plant regeneration of Tijuca National Park (TNP), a defaunated Atlantic Forest fragment. Howlers are folivore-frugivore primates, whose large clumped defecations attract dung beetles, which provide secondary dispersal by burying seeds present in the howlers’ feces. Thus, we expect that the fate of seeds dispersed by howlers will differ from those dispersed by other frugivores present in the Park. We followed the fate of seeds between 3 and 14mm in diameter in three steps of the seed dispersal loop, each one consisting of a different experiment. First, we estimated secondary seed dispersal and burial depth probabilities according to the frugivores’ defecation pattern; then, predation probability in different burial depths and defecation patterns; and, finally, recruitment probability in different burial depths. Considering the final result of the three experiments, the howlers’ reintroduction affected positively the regeneration of large seeds. The fate of 3mm seeds was little affected because they were seldom preyed upon at shallower depths anyway and could not recruit when deeply buried. On the other hand, seeds larger than 3mm reached the seedling stage more frequently when dispersed by howlers than when dispersed by other animals present in the Park. Thus, howler monkey reintroduction in defaunated areas, in addition to smaller frugivores, whose defecation patterns are less attractive for dung beetles, improves the regeneration of large seeds. We hope that this study will stimulate new howler reintroductions in defaunated areas.

scholarly journals Effects of grazing intensity and the use of veterinary medical products on dung beetle biodiversity in the sub-mountainous landscape of Central Italy

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Tonelli ◽  
José R. Verdú ◽  
Mario E. Zunino
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Medical Products ◽  
The Impact

Grazing extensification and intensification are among the main problems affecting European grasslands. We analyze the impact of grazing intensity (low and moderate) and the use of veterinary medical products (VMPs) on the dung beetle community in the province of Pesaro-Urbino (Italy). Grazing intensity is a key factor in explaining the diversity of dung beetles. In the case of the alpha diversity component, sites with a low level of grazing activity – related in a previous step to the subsequent abandonment of traditional farming – is characterized by a loss of species richness (q = 0) and a reduction in alpha diversity at the levels q = 1 and q = 2. In the case of beta diversity, sites with a different grazing intensity show remarkable differences in terms of the composition of their species assemblages. The use of VMPs is another important factor in explaining changes in dung beetle diversity. In sites with a traditional use of VMPs, a significant loss of species richness and biomass is observed, as is a notable effect on beta diversity. In addition, the absence of indicator species in sites with a historical use of VMPs corroborates the hypothesis that these substances have a ubiquitous effect on dung beetles. However, the interaction between grazing activity and VMPs when it comes to explaining changes in dung beetle diversity is less significant (or is not significant) than the main effects (each factor separately) for alpha diversity, biomass and species composition. This may be explained if we consider that both factors affect the various species differently. In other words, the reduction in dung availability affects several larger species more than it does very small species, although this does not imply that the former are more susceptible to injury caused by the ingestion of dung contaminated with VMPs. Finally, in order to prevent negative consequences for dung beetle diversity, we propose the maintenance of a moderate grazing intensity and the rational use of VMPs. It is our view that organic management can prevent excessive extensification while providing an economic stimulus to the sector. Simultaneously, it can also prevent the abuse of VMPs.

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