Nature Communications (Dec 2023)
Dung removal increases under higher dung beetle functional diversity regardless of grazing intensification
- Jorge Ari Noriega,
- Joaquín Hortal,
- Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola,
- Fernanda Alves-Martins,
- Jean C. G. Ortega,
- Luis Mauricio Bini,
- Nigel R. Andrew,
- Lucrecia Arellano,
- Sarah Beynon,
- Adrian L. V. Davis,
- Mario E. Favila,
- Kevin D. Floate,
- Finbarr G. Horgan,
- Rosa Menéndez,
- Tanja Milotic,
- Beatrice Nervo,
- Claudia Palestrini,
- Antonio Rolando,
- Clarke H. Scholtz,
- Yakup Senyüz,
- Thomas Wassmer,
- Réka Ádam,
- Cristina de O. Araújo,
- José Luis Barragan-Ramírez,
- Gergely Boros,
- Edgar Camero-Rubio,
- Melvin Cruz,
- Eva Cuesta,
- Miryam Pieri Damborsky,
- Christian M. Deschodt,
- Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan,
- Bram D’hondt,
- Alfonso Díaz Rojas,
- Kemal Dindar,
- Federico Escobar,
- Verónica R. Espinoza,
- José Rafael Ferrer-Paris,
- Pablo Enrique Gutiérrez Rojas,
- Zac Hemmings,
- Benjamín Hernández,
- Sarah J. Hill,
- Maurice Hoffmann,
- Pierre Jay-Robert,
- Kyle Lewis,
- Megan Lewis,
- Cecilia Lozano,
- Diego Marín-Armijos,
- Patrícia Menegaz de Farias,
- Betselene Murcia-Ordoñez,
- Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara,
- José Luis Navarrete-Heredia,
- Candelaria Ortega-Echeverría,
- José D. Pablo-Cea,
- William Perrin,
- Marcelo Bruno Pessoa,
- Anu Radhakrishnan,
- Iraj Rahimi,
- Amalia Teresa Raimundo,
- Diana Catalina Ramos,
- Ramón E. Rebolledo,
- Angela Roggero,
- Ada Sánchez-Mercado,
- László Somay,
- Jutta Stadler,
- Pejman Tahmasebi,
- José Darwin Triana Céspedes,
- Ana M. C. Santos
Affiliations
- Jorge Ari Noriega
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Joaquín Hortal
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Fernanda Alves-Martins
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Jean C. G. Ortega
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás
- Luis Mauricio Bini
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás
- Nigel R. Andrew
- Insect Ecology Laboratory, Natural History Museum, University of New England
- Lucrecia Arellano
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C.
- Sarah Beynon
- Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm; St Davids
- Adrian L. V. Davis
- Invertebrate Systematics and Conservation Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria
- Mario E. Favila
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C.
- Kevin D. Floate
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Finbarr G. Horgan
- EcoLaVerna Integral Restoration Ecology; Bridestown
- Rosa Menéndez
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
- Tanja Milotic
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
- Beatrice Nervo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin
- Claudia Palestrini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin
- Antonio Rolando
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin
- Clarke H. Scholtz
- Invertebrate Systematics and Conservation Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria
- Yakup Senyüz
- Kütahya Dumlupinar University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology
- Thomas Wassmer
- Department of Biology, Siena Heights University
- Réka Ádam
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany
- Cristina de O. Araújo
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás
- José Luis Barragan-Ramírez
- Centro de Estudios en Zoología – CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara
- Gergely Boros
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Department of Zoology and Ecology
- Edgar Camero-Rubio
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
- Melvin Cruz
- Independent researcher
- Eva Cuesta
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Miryam Pieri Damborsky
- Biología de los Artrópodos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura (UNNE-FaCENA), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
- Christian M. Deschodt
- Invertebrate Systematics and Conservation Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria
- Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan
- Insect Biosystematics and Conservation Laboratory, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
- Bram D’hondt
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
- Alfonso Díaz Rojas
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C.
- Kemal Dindar
- Kütahya Dumlupinar University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology
- Federico Escobar
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C.
- Verónica R. Espinoza
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- José Rafael Ferrer-Paris
- Centro de Estudios Botánicos y Agroforestales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
- Pablo Enrique Gutiérrez Rojas
- Grupo de investigación Biodiversidad y desarrollo Amazónico - BYDA, Centro de investigación Cesar Augusto Estrada González – MACAGUAL, Programa de Biología, Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
- Zac Hemmings
- Insect Ecology Laboratory, Natural History Museum, University of New England
- Benjamín Hernández
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Instituto Tecnológico de Tlajomulco, Tecnológico Nacional de México; Tlajomulco de Zúñiga
- Sarah J. Hill
- Insect Ecology Laboratory, Natural History Museum, University of New England
- Maurice Hoffmann
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
- Pierre Jay-Robert
- CEFE, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
- Kyle Lewis
- Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm; St Davids
- Megan Lewis
- Harper Adams University
- Cecilia Lozano
- Centro de Estudios Botánicos y Agroforestales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
- Diego Marín-Armijos
- Colección de Invertebrados Sur del Ecuador, Museo de Zoología CISEC-MUTPL, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
- Patrícia Menegaz de Farias
- Laboratório de Entomologia, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina
- Betselene Murcia-Ordoñez
- Grupo de investigación Biodiversidad y desarrollo Amazónico - BYDA, Centro de investigación Cesar Augusto Estrada González – MACAGUAL, Programa de Biología, Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
- Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara
- Insect Biosystematics and Conservation Laboratory, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
- José Luis Navarrete-Heredia
- Centro de Estudios en Zoología – CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara
- Candelaria Ortega-Echeverría
- Programa de Biología, Universidad de Cartagena
- José D. Pablo-Cea
- Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemática, Universidad de El Salvador
- William Perrin
- CEFE, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
- Marcelo Bruno Pessoa
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
- Anu Radhakrishnan
- Insect Biosystematics and Conservation Laboratory, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
- Iraj Rahimi
- Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Shahrekord University
- Amalia Teresa Raimundo
- Biología de los Artrópodos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura (UNNE-FaCENA), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
- Diana Catalina Ramos
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
- Ramón E. Rebolledo
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Medioambiente, Universidad de La Frontera
- Angela Roggero
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin
- Ada Sánchez-Mercado
- Centro de Estudios Botánicos y Agroforestales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
- László Somay
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany
- Jutta Stadler
- Department Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
- Pejman Tahmasebi
- Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Shahrekord University
- José Darwin Triana Céspedes
- Grupo de investigación Biodiversidad y desarrollo Amazónico - BYDA, Centro de investigación Cesar Augusto Estrada González – MACAGUAL, Programa de Biología, Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
- Ana M. C. Santos
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43760-8
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Abstract Dung removal by macrofauna such as dung beetles is an important process for nutrient cycling in pasturelands. Intensification of farming practices generally reduces species and functional diversity of terrestrial invertebrates, which may negatively affect ecosystem services. Here, we investigate the effects of cattle-grazing intensification on dung removal by dung beetles in field experiments replicated in 38 pastures around the world. Within each study site, we measured dung removal in pastures managed with low- and high-intensity regimes to assess between-regime differences in dung beetle diversity and dung removal, whilst also considering climate and regional variations. The impacts of intensification were heterogeneous, either diminishing or increasing dung beetle species richness, functional diversity, and dung removal rates. The effects of beetle diversity on dung removal were more variable across sites than within sites. Dung removal increased with species richness across sites, while functional diversity consistently enhanced dung removal within sites, independently of cattle grazing intensity or climate. Our findings indicate that, despite intensified cattle stocking rates, ecosystem services related to decomposition and nutrient cycling can be maintained when a functionally diverse dung beetle community inhabits the human-modified landscape.
