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Exploring co-extinction correlates: the effects of habitat, biogeography and anthropogenic factors on ground squirrels–dung beetles associations

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Abstract

Co-extinction is a recurring topic in conservation biology. Quantification of co-extinction has been generally restricted to parasite–host, predator–prey and herbivore–host plant interactions. The loss of detritivorous insects upon the depletion of herbivore mammals has been poorly explored. Here, we used rarefaction curves to predict co-decline involving the decrease in scarab dung beetles diversity due to a reduction in the number of dens of the Asia minor ground squirrel in the Turkish steppe biome. We also evaluated the potential benefits provided by livestock in mitigating the decline of scarab beetle communities. Rarefaction curves estimated that a 50% reduction in the number of sample units where squirrel faecal pellets are the only available food resource accounts for a reduction of 28% of all the scarab species, and of 24% of the squirrel-linked species. The current decline of ground squirrels, mainly due to intensification of agriculture, may represent a threat for biodiversity in steppic environments because it may affect the specialized insects, and may produce a cascade effect also on their predators, i.e., saker falcon, buzzards, eagles and mustelids. We also showed that the conservation of ground squirrels and their affiliate scarab species may be ensured by a moderate livestock grazing, owing to the higher ecological success of these rodents in the presence of large herbivores keeping low the grass cover.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the Turkish colleagues who furnished information about souslik systematics, ecology, biogeography and conservation. In particular, we are indebted to Ş.Ö. Özkurt (Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir) and E. Çolak (Ankara University, Beşevler, Ankara) for their publications and useful information on sousliks. We also thank S. Ziani, a taxonomist of scarab beetles, for information and useful discussion on dung beetles associated with rodent dens in the Near East, and the anonymous referees for having greatly improved previous drafts of our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Biology, Roma Tre University, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146, Rome, Italy

    Giuseppe Maria Carpaneto & Adriano Mazziotta

  2. Via A. Zezon 10, 20124, Milan, Italy

    Riccardo Pittino

  3. Centre of Environmental Studies Demetra S.r.l., via Olona 7, 00198, Rome, Italy

    Luca Luiselli

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Maria Carpaneto
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  2. Adriano Mazziotta
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  3. Riccardo Pittino
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  4. Luca Luiselli
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Maria Carpaneto.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 3, 4 and 5.

Table 3 The 22 sampling units of Turkish steppe where souslik dens were surveyed
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Table 4 Abundance and trophic preference of Aphodiinae dung beetles
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Table 5 Abundance and trophic preference of Scarabaeinae dung beetles
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Carpaneto, G.M., Mazziotta, A., Pittino, R. et al. Exploring co-extinction correlates: the effects of habitat, biogeography and anthropogenic factors on ground squirrels–dung beetles associations. Biodivers Conserv 20, 3059–3076 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0162-5

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