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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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2
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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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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Pérez-Ramos IM, Knops JMH, Pesendorfer MB, Koenig WD, Mooney KA. Weather cues associated with masting behavior dampen the negative autocorrelation between past and current reproduction in oaks. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:51-60. [PMID: 30633821 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The influence of weather conditions on masting and the ecological advantages of this reproductive behavior have been the subject of much interest. Weather conditions act as cues influencing reproduction of individual plants, and similar responses expressed across many individuals lead to population-level synchrony in reproductive output. In turn, synchrony leads to benefits from economies of scale such as enhanced pollination success and seed predator satiation. However, there may also be individual-level benefits from reproductive responses to weather cues, which may explain the origin of masting in the absence of economies of scale. In a previous study, we found support for a mechanism whereby individual responses to weather cues attenuate the negative autocorrelation between past and current annual seed production-a pattern typically attributed to resource limitation and reproductive tradeoffs among years. METHODS Here we provide a follow-up and more robust evaluation of this hypothesis in 12 species of oaks (Quercus spp.), testing for a negative autocorrelation (tradeoff) between past and current reproduction and whether responses to weather cues associated with masting reduce the strength of this negative autocorrelation. KEY RESULTS Our results showed a strong negative autocorrelation for 11 of the species, and that species-specific reproductive responses to weather cues dampened this negative autocorrelation in 10 of them. CONCLUSIONS This dampening effect presumably reflects a reduction in resource limitation or increased resource use associated with weather conditions, and suggests that responses to weather cues conferring these advantages should be selected for based on individual benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Apdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Apartado Postal 4-116, Itzimna, 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Ignacio M Pérez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), P.O. Box 1052, 41080, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Mario B Pesendorfer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
| | - Kailen A Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA, 92697
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Gómez JM, Schupp EW, Jordano P. Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:874-902. [PMID: 30467946 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José María Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Ctra Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, E-04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, S. J. and Jesse E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230,, U.S.A
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Departamento de Ecología Integrativa, Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Americo Vespucio S/N, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Del Arco JM, Beltrán D, Martínez-Ruiz C. Risk for the natural regeneration of Quercus species due to the expansion of rodent species (Microtus arvalis). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2575-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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6
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Moreira X, Pérez-Ramos IM, Abdala-Roberts L, Mooney KA. Functional responses of contrasting seed predator guilds to masting in two Mediterranean oak species. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xoaquín Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC); Apdo. 28, ES-36080 Pontevedra Galicia Spain
| | - Ignacio M. Pérez-Ramos
- Inst. de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC) Sevilla; Andalucía Spain
| | - Luis Abdala-Roberts
- Dept of Tropical Ecology; Autonomous Univ. of Yucatan, Itzimna, Merida; Yucatan Mexico
| | - Kailen A. Mooney
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Univ. of California; Irvine CA USA
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Camargo PHSA, Martins MM, Feitosa RM, Christianini AV. Bird and ant synergy increases the seed dispersal effectiveness of an ornithochoric shrub. Oecologia 2016; 181:507-18. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Midgley JJ, White JDM, Johnson SD, Bronner GN. Faecal mimicry by seeds ensures dispersal by dung beetles. NATURE PLANTS 2015; 1:15141. [PMID: 27251393 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2015.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The large brown, round, strongly scented seeds of Ceratocaryum argenteum (Restionaceae) emit many volatiles found to be present in herbivore dung. These seeds attract dung beetles that roll and bury them. As the seeds are hard and offer no reward to the dung beetles, this is a remarkable example of deception in plant seed dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Midgley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, P bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Joseph D M White
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, P bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Steven D Johnson
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, PBagX01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzurg 3209, South Africa
| | - Gary N Bronner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, P bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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The Interplay among Acorn Abundance and Rodent Behavior Drives the Spatial Pattern of Seedling Recruitment in Mature Mediterranean Oak Forests. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129844. [PMID: 26070129 PMCID: PMC4467087 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The patterns of seedling recruitment in animal-dispersed plants result from the interactions among environmental and behavioral variables. However, we know little on the contribution and combined effect of both kinds of variables. We designed a field study to assess the interplay between environment (vegetation structure, seed abundance, rodent abundance) and behavior (seed dispersal and predation by rodents, and rooting by wild boars), and their contribution to the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in a Mediterranean mixed-oak forest. In a spatially explicit design, we monitored intensively all environmental and behavioral variables in fixed points at a small spatial scale from autumn to spring, as well as seedling emergence and survival. Our results revealed that the spatial patterns of seedling emergence were strongly related to acorn availability on the ground, but not by a facilitation effect of vegetation cover. Rodents changed seed shadows generated by mother trees by dispersing most seeds from shrubby to open areas, but the spatial patterns of acorn dispersal/predation had no direct effect on recruitment. By contrast, rodents had a strong impact on recruitment as pilferers of cached seeds. Rooting by wild boars also reduced recruitment by reducing seed abundance, but also by changing rodent's behavior towards higher consumption of acorns in situ. Hence, seed abundance and the foraging behavior of scatter-hoarding rodents and wild boars are driving the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in this mature oak forest, rather than vegetation features. The contribution of vegetation to seedling recruitment (e.g. facilitation by shrubs) may be context dependent, having a little role in closed forests, or being overridden by directed seed dispersal from shrubby to open areas. We warn about the need of using broad approaches that consider the combined action of environment and behavior to improve our knowledge on the dynamics of natural regeneration in forests.
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Pérez-Ramos IM, Aponte C, García LV, Padilla-Díaz CM, Marañón T. Why is seed production so variable among individuals? A ten-year study with oaks reveals the importance of soil environment. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115371. [PMID: 25532130 PMCID: PMC4274023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mast-seeding species exhibit not only a large inter-annual variability in seed production but also considerable variability among individuals within the same year. However, very little is known about the causes and consequences for population dynamics of this potentially large between-individual variability. Here, we quantified seed production over ten consecutive years in two Mediterranean oak species - the deciduous Quercus canariensis and the evergreen Q. suber - that coexist in forests of southern Spain. First, we calibrated likelihood models to identify which abiotic and biotic variables best explain the magnitude (hereafter seed productivity) and temporal variation of seed production at the individual level (hereafter CVi), and infer whether reproductive effort results from the available soil resources for the plant or is primarily determined by selectively favoured strategies. Second, we explored the contribution of between-individual variability in seed production as a potential mechanism of satiation for predispersal seed predators. We found that Q. canariensis trees inhabiting moister and more fertile soils were more productive than those growing in more resource-limited sites. Regarding temporal variation, individuals of the two studied oak species inhabiting these resource-rich environments also exhibited larger values of CVi. Interestingly, we detected a satiating effect on granivorous insects at the tree level in Q. suber, which was evident in those years where between-individual variability in acorn production was higher. These findings suggest that individual seed production (both in terms of seed productivity and inter-annual variability) is strongly dependent on soil resource heterogeneity (at least for one of the two studied oak species) with potential repercussions for recruitment and population dynamics. However, other external factors (such as soil heterogeneity in pathogen abundance) or certain inherent characteristics of the tree might be also involved in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio M. Pérez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Cristina Aponte
- Department of Forest and Ecosystems Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Luis V. García
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carmen M. Padilla-Díaz
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Teodoro Marañón
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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Culot L, Huynen M, Heymann EW. Partitioning the relative contribution of one‐phase and two‐phase seed dispersal when evaluating seed dispersal effectiveness. Methods Ecol Evol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Culot
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Estadual Paulista Avenida 24A 1515 CP199 Rio Claro SP Brazil
- Primatology Research Group Behavioral Biology Unit University of Liège Quai van Beneden 22 Bât. I1 4020 Liège Belgium
- Abteilung Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ) Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Marie‐Claude Huynen
- Primatology Research Group Behavioral Biology Unit University of Liège Quai van Beneden 22 Bât. I1 4020 Liège Belgium
| | - Eckhard W. Heymann
- Abteilung Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ) Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
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