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deCastro-Arrazola I, Andrew NR, Berg MP, Curtsdotter A, Lumaret JP, Menéndez R, Moretti M, Nervo B, Nichols ES, Sánchez-Piñero F, Santos AMC, Sheldon KS, Slade EM, Hortal J. A trait-based framework for dung beetle functional ecology. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:44-65. [PMID: 36443916 PMCID: PMC10099951 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Traits are key for understanding the environmental responses and ecological roles of organisms. Trait approaches to functional ecology are well established for plants, whereas consistent frameworks for animal groups are less developed. Here we suggest a framework for the study of the functional ecology of animals from a trait-based response-effect approach, using dung beetles as model system. Dung beetles are a key group of decomposers that are important for many ecosystem processes. The lack of a trait-based framework tailored to this group has limited the use of traits in dung beetle functional ecology. We review which dung beetle traits respond to the environment and affect ecosystem processes, covering the wide range of spatial, temporal and biological scales at which they are involved. Dung beetles show trait-based responses to variation in temperature, water, soil properties, trophic resources, light, vegetation structure, competition, predation and parasitism. Dung beetles' influence on ecosystem processes includes trait-mediated effects on nutrient cycling, bioturbation, plant growth, seed dispersal, other dung-based organisms and parasite transmission, as well as some cases of pollination and predation. We identify 66 dung beetle traits that are either response or effect traits, or both, pertaining to six main categories: morphology, feeding, reproduction, physiology, activity and movement. Several traits pertain to more than one category, in particular dung relocation behaviour during nesting or feeding. We also identify 136 trait-response and 77 trait-effect relationships in dung beetles. No response to environmental stressors nor effect over ecological processes were related with traits of a single category. This highlights the interrelationship between the traits shaping body-plans, the multi-functionality of traits, and their role linking responses to the environment and effects on the ecosystem. Despite current developments in dung beetle functional ecology, many knowledge gaps remain, and there are biases towards certain traits, functions, taxonomic groups and regions. Our framework provides the foundations for the thorough development of trait-based dung beetle ecology. It also serves as an example framework for other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola
- Germans Cabot Franciscans 48, Bunyola, Spain.,Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Nigel R Andrew
- Insect Ecology Lab, Natural History Museum, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matty P Berg
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alva Curtsdotter
- Insect Ecology Lab, Natural History Museum, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Rosa Menéndez
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Marco Moretti
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Beatrice Nervo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Ana M C Santos
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Kimberly S Sheldon
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Eleanor M Slade
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joaquín Hortal
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.,cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Andresen E, Urrea-Galeano LA. Effects of dung beetle activity on tropical forest plants. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.979676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Dung beetles are recognized as providers of important ecosystem functions, most of which are derived from the removal of vertebrate dung from the soil surface. These insects occur in nearly all terrestrial biomes but are most diverse in the humid tropics. Several of the ecological functions attributed to dung beetles are related to their direct and indirect interactions with plants. Among these functions, the secondary dispersal of seeds defecated by mammals has received the most attention in tropical forests. Nonetheless, while several aspects of secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles are relatively well understood, others remain understudied or have not been addressed at all. Thus, a broad generalization about the effects of secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles on plant fitness remains somewhat elusive. Furthermore, other effects of dung beetle activity on tropical plants have received very little attention. A few studies have shown that through their behaviors of dung burial and soil-excavation, dung beetles can shape seed bank structure and dynamics. Also, though numerous greenhouse studies and field experiments in agricultural lands and temperate grasslands have shown that dung beetle activity increases plant nutrient uptake and yield, it is uncertain whether such effects are common in tropical forests. Here, we review and synthesize our current knowledge on how dung beetles affect tropical forest plants by dispersing defecated seeds, shaping the structure and dynamics of seed banks, and influencing the performance of understory seedlings. We focus on the Neotropics, where most studies on the effects of dung beetles on tropical forest plants have been carried out, but we also show results from other regions and biomes, to present a more general picture of these beetle-plant interactions. Throughout the review we emphasize aspects that need more research to allow generalizations and point out those questions that remain unanswered. We hope that this review will stimulate more research about the fascinating interactions between dung beetles and plants in tropical ecosystems.
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Fuzessy L, Sobral G, Culot L. Linking howler monkey ranging and defecation patterns to primary and secondary seed dispersal. Am J Primatol 2021; 84:e23354. [PMID: 34878682 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
To define the chances of a dispersed seed to produce a new recruit, it is essential to consider all stages of the dispersal process. Howler monkeys are recognized to have positive impacts on forest regeneration, acting as primary dispersers. Furthermore, dung beetles attracted to their feces protect the seeds against predators, and provide a better microenvironment for germination due to the removal of fecal matter, to seed burial, and/or by reducing the spatial aggregation of seeds in fecal clumps. Despite the recognized positive effects of primary seed dispersal through defecation by howler monkeys for plant recruitment, there are some important aspects of their behavior, such as the habit of defecating in latrines, that remain to be explored. Here, we investigated the fate of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds defecated by brown howlers, Alouatta guariba clamitans, and the secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles, considering how this process is affected by the monkey's defecation patterns. We found that brown howler monkeys dispersed seeds from several species away from fruit-feeding trees, partly because defecation under the canopy of such trees was not very frequent. Instead, most defecations were associated with latrines under overnight sleeping trees. Despite a very similar dung beetle community attracted to howler feces in latrines and fruit-feeding sites, seeds were more likely to be buried when deposited in latrines. In addition, C. xanthocarpa seeds showed higher germination and establishment success in latrines, but this positive effect was not due to the presence of fecal matter surrounding seeds. Our results highlight that A. guariba clamitans acts as a legitimate seed disperser of C. xanthocarpa seeds in a preserved context of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that defecations in latrines increase the dispersal effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisieux Fuzessy
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, State of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gisela Sobral
- Departamento de Reprodução Animal, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Laurence Culot
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, State of São Paulo, Brazil
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