Dog Waste Creates a Preference-Performance Mismatch for Urban Dung Beetles

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Urban Ecology

Background:

• Urban environments present novel challenges and resources for wildlife.
• Dung beetles, important ecosystem engineers, face altered food availability in human-dominated habitats.
• Understanding how urban dung beetles respond to different dung types is crucial for assessing their ecological role and conservation needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diet preference, maternal provisioning, and offspring performance of the urban dung beetle *Onthophagus orpheus* when offered dog and cow dung.
• To identify potential preference-performance mismatches in urban dung beetle populations.
• To assess the impact of domestic dog waste on dung beetle reproductive success in urban settings.

Main Methods:

• Field surveys and laboratory experiments were conducted.
• Two domestic dung types (dog and cow) were used to assess beetle preferences.
• Maternal provisioning, offspring development rate, adult size, and brood ball mortality were measured.

Main Results:

• *Onthophagus orpheus* strongly preferred dog dung over cow dung.
• Offspring reared on dog dung exhibited faster development and larger adult size.
• Brood ball mortality was significantly higher on dog dung (approx. 60%) compared to cow dung (approx. 25%).

Conclusions:

• A significant preference-performance mismatch exists, where the preferred dog dung leads to reduced offspring survival.
• The accumulation of domestic dog waste in urban areas poses an underappreciated ecological risk to dung beetle populations.
• Conservation strategies for urban wildlife should consider the impact of novel resources and associated risks on key species like dung beetles.