A dirty job: manure removal by dung beetles in both a cattle ranch and laboratory setting

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) play a crucial role in natural ecosystems and grazing areas because they are actively involved in dung removal and other ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. We assess the manure removal process performed by dung beetles on a cattle ranch with temperate forest remnants in the Mexican Transition Zone of central Mexico. Despite having similar species richness, the amount of dung removed by the beetle community on pastures was higher than in forest remnants, but there were no significant differences between dung types (cow and sheep). Using field mesocosms, we found differences in the amount of dung removed by eight of the most abundant species in the study area. As in the field, in the laboratory large species (Deltochilum scabriusculum Bates, Dichotomius colonicus Say, and Phanaeus adonis Harold) removed larger amounts of dung during the first days of the process. We found positive and significant relationships between species biomass and the amount of dung removed, both in mesocosms and in the laboratory. Our results suggest that in spite of habitat type, dung beetle biomass is one of the main factors driving the process of dung removal. A better understanding of the dynamics of ecosystem processes where dung beetles participate will improve the design of management plans to promote sustainability and ecosystems integrity in livestock areas.