Physiological traits explain the response of dung beetles to land use at local and regional scales

Physiological traits in insects are useful to understand their distribution at different spatial scales, their presence and abundance, and the use of different habitats. This study explored physiological parameters of dung beetles in two contrasting ecoregions of Argentina: Paranaense Forest and Dry Chaco. We capture dung beetles from both regions and habitats with different degrees of disturbance within each region, and performed lab experiments on metabolic rate and thermal tolerance. This study revealed that dung beetles inhabiting regions or habitats with higher temperatures (Dry Chaco and open pastures) showed greater temperature tolerance compared to those inhabiting regions or habitats with lower temperatures (Paranaense Forest and habitats preserving tree canopy). Furthermore, in the Dry Chaco, more species exploit open disturbed habitats, indicating less physiological sensitivity to temperature changes than dung beetles in the Paranaense Forest. This study is the first to compare dung beetle assemblages at both regional and local scales. The findings highlight the importance of preserving tree canopy in land use planning to mitigate microclimatic changes, especially in humid forests, to support dung beetle populations and their crucial ecosystem roles in the face of climate change.