Low-intensity pasture management sustain dung beetle taxonomic and functional diversity in Cerrado/Caatinga transition zones

Mila Massuda — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:16:16 +0000

RESUMO: Increasing grazing pressure for food production is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation in tropical dryland, particularly in ecologically complex transition zones that harbor substantial global biodiversity. Despite their high conservation value, the effects of grazing management on biodiversity in drylands remain poorly understood. We investigated how land-use intensity and local environmental metrics influence both taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles in native habitats and pastures under contrasting management intensities within a Cerrado–Caatinga transition zone in Brazil. Species richness was significantly higher in native areas and low-intensity pastures than in high-intensity pastures. Vegetation heterogeneity negatively affected the abundance of small- and medium-sized dung beetles in native areas and high-intensity pastures, while exerting positive effects in low-intensity pastures. Soil sand content showed contrasting effects on functional richness, increasing it in low-intensity pastures but reducing it in high-intensity pastures. Although dung beetle species composition differed among land-use types, low-intensity pastures shared a substantially greater number of species with native habitats than high-intensity pastures. Implications for insect conservation Our results demonstrate that low-intensity pasture management sustains both taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles and enhances habitat permeability for species originating from native environments. Promoting less intensive grazing practices in dryland transition regions can therefore represent an effective strategy to reconcile livestock production with insect conservation and the maintenance of key ecosystem services.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-026-00811-x

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Beyond forested habitats in tropical ecosystems: the influence of landscape structure for dung beetle assemblages from open habitats

Mila Massuda — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:34:49 +0000

RESUMO: Context Native open habitats in tropical ecosystems are often overlooked despite their ecological importance and unique community structure. Understanding how landscape composition and configuration influence biodiversity in these environments is essential for conservation planning. Objectives We evaluated how landscape structure—specifically landscape composition (forest cover, open vegetation) and configuration (edge density, patch number, landscape diversity, NDVI)—affects dung beetle assemblages in natural open-canopy habitats of the Cerrado. We examined responses at both community and functional-group levels. Methods Dung beetles were sampled using baited pitfall traps across 15 open-canopy sites along a gradient of landscape structure. Species richness, abundance, assemblage composition, functional (e.g., tunnellers and rollers) and trophic (e.g., generalists and coprophagous) groups were analyzed with generalized linear models and redundancy analysis. Landscape metrics were extracted at four spatial scales (100–400 m radius), and the best-fitting scale was selected for each variable. Results We collected 1,382 individuals from 27 species. Edge density emerged as the most influential configuration metric, negatively affecting overall abundance and reducing tunneller species richness and abundance. Forest cover increased the abundance of dietgeneralist species. Neither landscape diversity nor NDVI significantly predicted richness or abundance, although NDVI explained species turnover at the 300-m scale. Conclusions Landscape configuration, particularly edge density, is a key driver of dung beetle diversity in open-canopy habitats, reducing both taxonomic and functional components of assemblages. Conserving large, less fragmented open habitats and minimizing edge creation are crucial for maintaining dung beetle diversity and ecosystem functioning in the Cerrado.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-026-02408-w

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Low-intensity pasture management sustain dung beetle taxonomic and functional diversity in Cerrado/Caatinga transition zones

Beyond forested habitats in tropical ecosystems: the influence of landscape structure for dung beetle assemblages from open habitats