Density-dependent ecosystem service delivery under shifting temperatures by dung beetles

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Climate Change Biology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Climate change causes rising temperatures, stressing insect populations and their vital ecosystem services.
• Dung beetles are crucial ecosystem service providers, facilitating nutrient cycling, seed dispersal, and decomposition through dung utilization.
• Understanding dung beetle responses to environmental changes is critical for conserving these ecosystem services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify ecosystem services provided by three telecoprid dung beetle species under varying temperature and density conditions.
• To assess how dung utilization and dung ball production are affected by these environmental factors.
• To identify species-specific responses to thermal stress and beetle density for conservation implications.

Main Methods:

• Three dung beetle species (Allogymnoplexus indigaceous, Scarabaeus zambezianus, Khepher prodigiosus) were studied.
• Dung utilization and dung ball production were measured under three temperature treatments (21°C, 28°C, 35°C).
• Experiments included varying beetle densities and dung masses to examine factorial effects.

Main Results:

• Khepher prodigiosus showed the highest dung utilization efficiency across different dung masses.
• All species maintained dung removal at tested temperatures, though efficiency varied with temperature, species, and density.
• Scarabaeus zambezianus and A. indigaceous showed increased utilization with warming and density, while K. prodigiosus was less affected.
• Dung ball production increased with temperature and density, with S. zambezianus producing the most.

Conclusions:

• Dung beetle species exhibit differential density-dependent ecosystem service delivery under stressful temperature regimes.
• Emergent effects between temperature, species, and density significantly influence dung utilization efficiency.
• Findings are essential for biodiversity-ecosystem function research and conserving functionally effective species in changing environments.