Response of a dung beetle assemblage along a reforestation gradient in Restinga forest

Scarabaeinae dung beetles are indicator insects used in the evaluation of the ecological effects caused by changes in habitat structure and ecosystem integrity resulting from environmental degradation. We compared dung beetle diversity in conserved restinga forests (coastal tropical moist broadleaf forest) and in reforested areas of various ages during the rainy and dry seasons, on the coast of Paraiba State, Brazil. A total of 3,634 individuals comprising 14 species were collected. In the reforested areas there was a gradual increase in species abundance relative to the area's age, but in the conserved restinga the abundance of individuals was 10-20 times higher than that recorded in areas of recent reforestation. The highest species richness was found in the conserved restinga and in the oldest reforested area (16 years old) during the rainy season. During the dry season, when environmental conditions do not seem to favor adult survival, most of the species were found in the conserved restinga forest. The dung beetle community structure was related to the increases in habitat heterogeneity in the successional processes of the reforested areas. Our results suggest that reforested areas act as a source of and refuge for dung beetle species.