Habitat differences in dung beetle assemblages in an African savanna-forest ecotone: implications for secondary seed dispersal

The probability and pattern of secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) depend on their community structure and composition at the site of primary deposition, which, in turn, seem to be strongly determined by vegetation. Consequently, we expected pronounced differences in secondary se...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Integrative zoology 2011-06, Vol.6 (2), p.81-96
Main Authors: KUNZ, Britta K., KRELL, Frank-Thorsten
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Animals
baboon defecations
Behavior, Animal
Coleoptera - classification
Coleoptera - physiology
Cote d'Ivoire
Ecosystem
Feces
Feeding Behavior
Forests
Grassland
guild differences
Papio anubis
Scarabaeidae
secondary seed dispersal
Seed Dispersal
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Summary:The probability and pattern of secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) depend on their community structure and composition at the site of primary deposition, which, in turn, seem to be strongly determined by vegetation. Consequently, we expected pronounced differences in secondary seed dispersal between forest and savanna in the northern Ivory Coast, West Africa. We found 99 dung beetle species at experimentally exposed dung piles of the olive baboon (Papio anubis (Lesson, 1827)), an important primary seed disperser in West Africa. Seventy‐six species belonged to the roller and tunneler guilds, which are relevant for secondary seed dispersal. Most species showed a clear habitat preference. Contrary to the Neotropics, species number and abundance were much higher in the savanna than in the forest. Rollers and tunnelers each accounted for approximately 50% of the individuals in the savanna, but in the forest rollers made up only 4%. Seeds deposited into the savanna by an omnivorous primary disperser generally have a higher overall probability of being more rapidly dispersed secondarily by dung beetles than seeds in the forest. Also, rollers disperse seeds over larger distances. In contrast to other studies, small rollers were active in dispersal of large seeds, which were seemingly mistaken for dung balls. Our results suggest that rollers can remove seeds from any plant dispersed in primate dung in this ecosystem.
ISSN:1749-4869
1749-4877
1749-4877
DOI:10.1111/j.1749-4877.2011.00240.x