The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon

ABSTRACT Resource attractiveness and preference is determinant to assess how biodiversity is structured in different ecosystems. Necrophagy is the alternative or complementary dietary habit of dung beetles, but a few studies have focused on evaluating how different carrion types attract different sp...

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Main Authors: Mirella Lima Costa, Renato Portela Salomão, Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar, César Murilo deAlbuquerque Correa, Luciana Iannuzzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-12-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70766
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author Mirella Lima Costa
Renato Portela Salomão
Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar
César Murilo deAlbuquerque Correa
Luciana Iannuzzi
author_facet Mirella Lima Costa
Renato Portela Salomão
Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar
César Murilo deAlbuquerque Correa
Luciana Iannuzzi
author_sort Mirella Lima Costa
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Resource attractiveness and preference is determinant to assess how biodiversity is structured in different ecosystems. Necrophagy is the alternative or complementary dietary habit of dung beetles, but a few studies have focused on evaluating how different carrion types attract different species. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of carrion type on attractiveness and preference of dung beetle taxonomic diversity in a region of Central Amazon. Pitfall traps baited with bovine spleen, chicken liver, and fish (freshwater sardine) were installed. Bait attractiveness was estimated through a sampling design that kept exclusively one food type in the field, while bait preference comprised a sampling design with more than one food type offered simultaneously in a concentrated area. We collected 3151 individuals from 24 dung beetle species. Bovine spleen was the most attractive bait in both food preference and food attractiveness experiments, being the only carrion type in which species demonstrated preference. Each carrion type attracted distinct dung beetle assemblages. This study demonstrates that Amazonian dung beetles prefer specific carrion types, which serves as a basis for future studies related to dung beetle diet.
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series Ecology and Evolution
spelling doaj-art-4a4a84ecc7cb4d22b2522c263121ba3f2025-08-20T02:56:03ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-12-011412n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70766The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central AmazonMirella Lima Costa0Renato Portela Salomão1Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar2César Murilo deAlbuquerque Correa3Luciana Iannuzzi4Programa de Pós‐Graduação Em Biologia Animal Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife BrazilFacultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Tlalnepantla de Baz MexicoPós‐graduação Em Ecologia Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus BrazilLaboratório de Bioecologia de Scarabaeoidea (Scaralab) Universidade Estadual Do Mato Grosso Do Sul Aquidauana BrazilPrograma de Pós‐Graduação Em Biologia Animal Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife BrazilABSTRACT Resource attractiveness and preference is determinant to assess how biodiversity is structured in different ecosystems. Necrophagy is the alternative or complementary dietary habit of dung beetles, but a few studies have focused on evaluating how different carrion types attract different species. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of carrion type on attractiveness and preference of dung beetle taxonomic diversity in a region of Central Amazon. Pitfall traps baited with bovine spleen, chicken liver, and fish (freshwater sardine) were installed. Bait attractiveness was estimated through a sampling design that kept exclusively one food type in the field, while bait preference comprised a sampling design with more than one food type offered simultaneously in a concentrated area. We collected 3151 individuals from 24 dung beetle species. Bovine spleen was the most attractive bait in both food preference and food attractiveness experiments, being the only carrion type in which species demonstrated preference. Each carrion type attracted distinct dung beetle assemblages. This study demonstrates that Amazonian dung beetles prefer specific carrion types, which serves as a basis for future studies related to dung beetle diet.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70766Amazon rainforestbait preferencecarcassdead corpseScarabaeinaetrophic plasticity
spellingShingle Mirella Lima Costa
Renato Portela Salomão
Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar
César Murilo deAlbuquerque Correa
Luciana Iannuzzi
The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
Ecology and Evolution
Amazon rainforest
bait preference
carcass
dead corpse
Scarabaeinae
trophic plasticity
title The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
title_full The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
title_fullStr The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
title_full_unstemmed The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
title_short The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon
title_sort most attractive is not always the preferred lessons from necrophagous dung beetle assemblages in a region of the central amazon
topic Amazon rainforest
bait preference
carcass
dead corpse
Scarabaeinae
trophic plasticity
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70766
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