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 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 and Ana M. C. Santos ()
Additional contact information
Jorge Ari Noriega: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Joaquín Hortal: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Fernanda Alves-Martins: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Jean C. G. Ortega: Universidade Federal de Goiás
Luis Mauricio Bini: Universidade Federal de Goiás
Nigel R. Andrew: University of New England
Lucrecia Arellano: Instituto de Ecología A.C.
Sarah Beynon: Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm; St Davids
Adrian L. V. Davis: University of Pretoria
Mario E. Favila: Instituto de Ecología A.C.
Kevin D. Floate: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Finbarr G. Horgan: EcoLaVerna Integral Restoration Ecology; Bridestown
Rosa Menéndez: Lancaster University
Tanja Milotic: Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Beatrice Nervo: University of Turin
Claudia Palestrini: University of Turin
Antonio Rolando: University of Turin
Clarke H. Scholtz: University of Pretoria
Yakup Senyüz: Kütahya Dumlupinar University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology
Thomas Wassmer: Siena Heights University
Réka Ádam: Institute of Ecology and Botany
Cristina de O. Araújo: Universidade Federal de Goiás
José Luis Barragan-Ramírez: 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: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Melvin Cruz: Independent researcher
Eva Cuesta: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Miryam Pieri Damborsky: Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
Christian M. Deschodt: University of Pretoria
Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
Bram D’hondt: Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Alfonso Díaz Rojas: Instituto de Ecología A.C.
Kemal Dindar: Kütahya Dumlupinar University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology
Federico Escobar: Instituto de Ecología A.C.
Verónica R. Espinoza: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
José Rafael Ferrer-Paris: Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
Pablo Enrique Gutiérrez Rojas: Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
Zac Hemmings: University of New England
Benjamín Hernández: Tecnológico Nacional de México; Tlajomulco de Zúñiga
Sarah J. Hill: University of New England
Maurice Hoffmann: Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Pierre Jay-Robert: Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Kyle Lewis: Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm; St Davids
Megan Lewis: Harper Adams University
Cecilia Lozano: Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
Diego Marín-Armijos: Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
Patrícia Menegaz Farias: Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina
Betselene Murcia-Ordoñez: Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
José Luis Navarrete-Heredia: Universidad de Guadalajara
Candelaria Ortega-Echeverría: Universidad de Cartagena
José D. Pablo-Cea: Universidad de El Salvador
William Perrin: Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Marcelo Bruno Pessoa: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)
Anu Radhakrishnan: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
Iraj Rahimi: Shahrekord University
Amalia Teresa Raimundo: Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
Diana Catalina Ramos: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Ramón E. Rebolledo: Universidad de La Frontera
Angela Roggero: University of Turin
Ada Sánchez-Mercado: Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
László Somay: Institute of Ecology and Botany
Jutta Stadler: Department Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
Pejman Tahmasebi: Shahrekord University
José Darwin Triana Céspedes: Facultad Ciencias Básicas- Universidad de la Amazonia
Ana M. C. Santos: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 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.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43760-8

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