Dung beetle diversity and community composition along a fragmented landscape in an altitudinal gradient in southeastern Mexico
This study aimed to investigate the diversity patterns of Scarabaeinae community along an altitudinal gradient under intense anthropogenic pressure in the central region of Chiapas, Mexico, considering the influence of environmental and landscape variables. We sampled dung beetles using baited pitfall traps in four sites located at diferent altitudes (870 m, 1120 m, 1620 m, 2370 m). We collected a total of 1,233 individuals belonging 32 species, 14 genera and seven tribes. Four species account 66.74% of the total abundance, while another 20 are represented by a maximum of six individuals, including 10 singletons. Assemblages were more even at lower altitude sites and diversity was inversely related to increasing altitude. Similarity analysis indicated an evident segregation in species composition among the sites, forming three distinct dung beetle assemblages according to vegetation type. Within the gradient, we found 12 species with a strong association to the studied habitats. Redundancy analysis explained 41.3% of the variation in the beetle community, the simplifed model included the variables efective mesh size, altitude and canopy cover. These results suggest that fragmentation caused by human activities are leading to a biotic homogenization in dung beetle assemblages, with a high proportion of rare and opportunistic species. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the scarce knowledge regarding diversity of dung beetles that inhabits in altitudinal gradients in the Central region of Chiapas
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Escarabajos del estiércol, Indicadores ambientales, Variables ambientales, Paisajes fragmentados, |
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