Anthropogenic disturbance may promote the invasion of forest landscape by an open-habitat specialist introduced dung bee
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Anthropogenic disturbance may promote the invasion of forest landscape by an open-habitat specialist introduced dung beetle species in Brazil Walter Mesquita Filho 1
&
Elisângela N. L. Ferreira 1 & Ivan Henrique Chagas 1 & Wesley. A. C. Godoy 1
Received: 26 January 2020 / Accepted: 7 September 2020 # Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences 2020
Abstract Digitonthophagus gazella, a dung beetle species introduced into many countries as a biological control agent for cattle dung removal, is adapted to open pastures and avoid shaded areas such as forests. With a short development period, high fecundity, and long dispersion capability, D. gazella is an effective competitor that is considered an invasive species in many countries. Until recently, only one study evaluated its possible presence in a small forest area, suggesting an invasion process might be occurring. We report here the presence of D. gazella in five distinct forest landscapes (FLs): a regenerating native forest, a reforested native forest, and three forests with exotic plant species. The FLs are embedded in an area with several other FLs, which is surrounded by a river and a pasture. However, cattle have access to these FLs. We found that the anthropogenic disturbances may be facilitating the species dispersal to shaded habitats as there was a higher abundance of D. gazella in areas where cattle were more active. The possibility of this species in invading FLs is worrisome because it has been shown that D. gazella can cause significant negative impacts to the native dung beetle community, which is of great ecological importance for the ecosystem. Keywords Scarabaeidae . Introduced non-native species . Invasion process . Digitonthophagus gazella . Bovine
Introduction Insect species introduced as biological control agents rarely become invasive. However, the few exceptions remind us that extreme care must be taken to avoid such possibility due to significant ecological consequences. For example, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), was introduced as a biological control agent of pest aphids but is now considered invasive worldwide due to its negative impact on the indigenous coccinellid community (Roy and Wajnberg 2008). In 1990, the African dung beetle species Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius, 1787) (sensu Génier and Moretto 2017) was allegedly introduced and released in Brazil by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) to promote
* Walter Mesquita Filho [email protected] 1
Department of Entomology and Acarology, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
the biological control of the horn fly (Haematobia irritans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae)). By burying cattle dung, D. gazella also buries the larvae of the horn fly which resides in the dung and enhances the biological control of this pest species (Bianchin et al. 1992). However, as in many other countries, no studies regarding its possible impacts
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