Remote cameras capture dung burial by burrowing cricket

Abstract

Animal dung holds an important role in the nutrient cycle of nearly every ecosystem on Earth. It also acts as an ephemeral resource for invertebrate communities and has facilitated the specialization of many life history strategies. Most ecosystem functions associated with dung are linked to burial - a process most often attributed to dung beetles. However, identifying other organisms that contribute to dung burial is important to understand how communities provide this ecosystem service. During a trail camera experiment intended to monitor dung beetle behavior, we observed an unidentified species of cricket burying dung pellets underground. We were unable to find previous documentation of dung-burying behavior for this animal group, raising questions of how common or extensive this behavior is. Particularly under the threat of global insect declines, understanding which species are responsible for key processes may be crucial to maintaining ecosystem function and resilience. Additionally, this experiment exemplifies how camera traps can be used in nontraditional applications to observe and monitor unique events, behaviors, and processes, such as the decay of ephemeral resource patches and insect behavior.