Dung removal by dung beetles in tropical livestock-dominated landscapes: Role of livestock grazing abandonment, local environment, and community attributes

Abstract

Cattle farming is a prominent economic activity in tropical ecosystems. However, this system can lead to biodiversity loss and decreased ecosystem functions. Due to land degradation or changes in farming practices, areas with different times after cattle grazing removal are new and common habitats in tropical landscapes. Therefore, understanding the impact of livestock grazing abandonment on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function is crucial for tropical pastureland livestock production. We assessed the influence of livestock grazing abandonment (cattle removal time), local environmental conditions (herbaceous vegetation density, sand content, and soil compaction), and dung beetle community attributes (biomass and functional dispersion) on dung removal rates in pasturelands. We conducted this study at 24 natural grassland sites in the Brazilian Pantanal, a tropical landscape dominated by livestock. Our findings reveal that community attributes primarily explain the variation in dung removal rates, while the effects of local environment and cattle removal time were insignificant. The relationships between dung beetle functional diversity and ecosystem functioning may show substantial context-dependent variation. Biomass was particularly important in explaining shifts in dung removal. These results underscore the direct link between the decline of biomass of larger-bodied dung beetles and the loss of ecosystem services associated with dung removal, such as parasitic control and soil fertilization. Therefore, conserving dung beetle biomass of larger-bodied dung beetles through effective management plans is vital to sustain ecological functions in tropical livestock-dominated landscapes.