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Duration of Cattle Ranching Affects Dung Beetle Diversity and Secondary Seed Removal in Tropical Dry Forest Landscapes

Juan J. Morales-Trejo,W. Dáttilo,G. Zurita,L. Arellano

Published 2024 in Insects

ABSTRACT

Simple Summary The use of inadequate cattle ranching practices (e.g., fire, agrochemical applications, long term extensive grazing, lack of paddock rotation in pastures) could have negative consequences on biodiversity and ecological functions. In this study, the influence of cattle ranching duration on the diversity of dung beetles and seed removal was evaluated in pastures having different times of establishment in a tropical dry forest landscape. Dung beetle species richness was similar along the gradient of grazing ages, but the diversity of common and dominant species declined with increasing grazing age. Seed removal was mainly carried out by an exotic species. Although native dung beetles persisted at low abundances along this gradient, the consequences of land use changes and inadequate practices in similar landscapes could lead to their disappearance. Abstract Cattle ranching is an economic activity responsible for the loss of large extensions of tropical dry forest around the world. Several studies have demonstrated that the use of inadequate practices of this activity in tropical forests (e.g., fire, agrochemicals, and lack of rotational grazing systems of cattle in pastures) have negative consequences on dung beetle diversity and their ecological functions. In the present study, the influence of the cattle ranching duration gradient on the diversity of dung beetles and seed removal was evaluated. This study was carried out in pastures with different times of establishment of cattle ranching (between 4 and 40 years) in a tropical dry forest of Mexico. Overall, the species richness of dung beetles was similar along the gradient of grazing ages. However, the diversity of common (q1) and dominant (q2) species decreased and was associated with an increasing abundance of exotic species and a decreasing abundance of native species. Seed removal was mainly carried out by four beetle species, among which the exotic species Digitonthophagus gazella was the most important. The results establish that the duration of cattle ranching primarily influences the composition of dung beetle communities, as reflected in changes in the structure and function of their assemblages in the pastures. Although native dung beetles persist at low abundances along this gradient, the consequences of land use changes are undeniable in other similar ecosystems where these species could definitively disappear.

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