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Using dung beetles to evaluate the conversion effects from native to introduced pasture in the Brazilian Pantanal

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Abstract

The Pantanal is the largest Neotropical seasonal freshwater wetland on Earth. Extensive livestock production has been the dominant economic land use activity of the Pantanal, where approximately 80 % of the land is occupied by native and introduced pastures. However, the impact of native pasture conversion into introduced pasture on the biodiversity of this biome is little understood. Here we evaluate the effect of native pasture to introduced pasture conversion on dung beetle communities. We sampled dung beetles in July 2011 (dry season) and January 2012 (rainy season), at four native pasture sites and four introduced pasture sites in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The sampling was carried out using pitfall traps baited with three different bait types: carrion, cattle dung, and human feces. We sampled 7086 individuals, belonging to 32 species of 16 genera and six tribes of dung beetles. The abundance was similar among the pasture types. However, a higher species richness was found on the native pasture. Species composition also differed between the two pasture types in each sampling season. Additionally, the dominant functional guilds were different in the two landscapes. The result shows that the conversion of native grasslands into introduced pasture results in a decrease of species number and changes in species composition. These findings highlight the importance on native pasture to the conservation of dung beetle biodiversity in this ecosystem.

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Acknowledgments

We thank father of the first author, Agenor Martinho Correa, for the encouragement and logistical support. We also thank Cristiano Lopes-Andrade and José H. Schoereder (UFV) for supply of equipment at their labs for screening of the dung beetles, Fernando Z. Vaz-de-Mello (UFMT) for identification of the dung beetle species, Natalie Swan (University of Lancaster, Lancaster, UK) for reviewing the English of this article, Adilson Areco, Flávia Torres, and Vagner dos Santos for the field support, and Mrs. Odilon Ribeiro and Zelito Ribeiro for access to their properties. CMAC received a MSc scholarship from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil) (134418/2013-1) from the Agronomy Graduate Program, Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, 37200-000, Brazil

    César Murilo de Albuquerque Correa

  2. Faculdades Integradas Aparício Carvalho (FIMCA), Porto Velho, RO, 76811-678, Brazil

    Anderson Puker

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    Anderson Puker

  4. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, MS, 79804-070, Brazil

    Kleyton Rezende Ferreira

  5. Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, MS, 79200-000, Brazil

    Cleilsom Melgarejo Cristaldo & Alfredo Raúl Abot

  6. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    Felipe Nery Freitas Ferreira

  7. Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Frutal, MG, 38200-000, Brazil

    Vanesca Korasaki

  8. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, 36307-352, Brazil

    Vanesca Korasaki

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  1. César Murilo de Albuquerque Correa
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  2. Anderson Puker
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  3. Kleyton Rezende Ferreira
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  5. Felipe Nery Freitas Ferreira
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  6. Alfredo Raúl Abot
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Correspondence to César Murilo de Albuquerque Correa.

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de Albuquerque Correa, C.M., Puker, A., Ferreira, K.R. et al. Using dung beetles to evaluate the conversion effects from native to introduced pasture in the Brazilian Pantanal. J Insect Conserv 20, 447–456 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-016-9877-7

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