Assembly of Dung Beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) Inhabiting Cow Dung in the Northern Spurs of the Manchurian-Korean Mountains (Russian Far East)

Abstract

In the northern spurs of the Manchurian-Korean Mountains (Primorskii krai), an assembly of dung beetles inhabiting cow dung has been studied. Data on the species composition, population dynamics, and number and biomass of the dung beetles are presented. A comparison of the assemblies of sheep and cow dung beetles in the conditions of the northern spurs of the Manchurian-Korean Mountains has shown that, despite the fact that these assemblies are geographically located in identical areas, formed on the basis of a common pool of species, and have a similar species composition of beetles, the structural features of these assemblies, as well as the dynamic processes taking place in them, have significant differences. This is expressed in a richer species composition in cow dung, in the number of species in individual functional groups, in differences in dominant species, in features of the seasonal distribution of abundance and biomass (including the peak values of these indicators for individual functional groups of dung beetles), and in aggregate indicators of overlapping temporal aspects and ecological niches of coprophilous scarab beetles. It is suggested that the above differences are due to both the historical processes of the formation of assemblies and abiotic factors, first and foremost, by the size and consistency of substrate.