02904nas a2200325   4500008004100000245009000041210006900131260000800200300001100208490000700219520202400226653001402250653002302264653001302287653001602300653001802316653002102334653001502355653001502370653001102385653001302396653001702409653001702426653001502443653003202458100001802490700001702508700001902525856003402544       1999                        eng d00aInteractions between dung, plants and the dung fauna in a heathland in northern Italy0 aInteractions between dung plants and the dung fauna in a heathla  cMar  a97-1090 v433 aThe influence of the insect fauna on cattle dung degradation and the development of a natural vegetal community was studied during three successive summers in a heathland in northern Italy. In 1992 and 1993, small (864 cm(2)) rectangular iron sheet frames were placed on the ground and assigned to three experimental groups: one (Control) had no dung, the second contained an artificially made (0.5 kg) dung pat protected with a mesh in order to exclude insects, while the third group contained dung which was colonised by insects. Above-ground primary production within the cages was collected at regular intervals from June to September. Dung addition had a huge effect on plant growth in both years (+29-31 %), in addition to this, in the first year, but not in the second, dung insects transferred to the soil an amount of organic material that also significantly stimulated (+14.5 %) the external growth of the plants. We suggest that the difference between 1992 and 1993 could have been determined by different numbers of grazing cattle in the study area: in consequence of this, we hypothesise that dung insects populations were larger and more active in the first year compared with the second. In 1994, the role of the insect fauna on dung degradation was investigated in greater detail. The total dry matter decrease in dung attributable to the activity of the insect community, after 20 days from dung deposition, was 18.4 % of the original dry weight; of that percentage, less than one third (5.8 %) was related to underground nesting (paracoprid) beetles. Earthworms were not active in the season when our survey was carried out. We concluded that the dung insect fauna can influence dung degradation and the growth of a natural plant community occurring on an acidic and impoverished soil, but that these effects are only of minor importance. This seems to be a consequence of the low densities of dung beetles in the study area and the absence of large-sized paracoprid and telecoprid scarabaeid species.10aabundance10abeetles coleoptera10abush fly10acattle dung10adisappearance10adung degradation10adung fauna10aearthworms10aEurope10amuscidae10aplant growth10aScarabaeidae10asheep dung10avetustissima walker diptera1 aBorghesio, L.1 aLuzzatto, M.1 aPalestrini, C.  u<Go to ISI>://00007909330000102805nas a2200337   4500008004100000245006500041210006500106260000800171300001200179490000600191520186300197653002302060653002002083653001702103653001702120653001802137653002402155653002502179653001302204653002202217653002202239653002702261653002102288653001902309100002302328700002602351700001802377700001802395700002002413856003402433       2002                        eng d00aVulnerability of South African animal taxa to climate change0 aVulnerability of South African animal taxa to climate change  cJul  a679-6930 v83 aThe responsiveness of South African fauna to climate change events is poorly documented and not routinely incorporated into regional conservation planning. We model the likely range alterations of a representative suite of 179 animal species to climate change brought about by the doubling of CO2 concentrations. This scenario is expected to cause a mean temperature increase of 2 degreesC. We applied a multivariate climate envelope approach and evaluated model performance using the most comprehensive bird data set. The results were encouraging, although model performance was inconsistent in the eastern coastal area of the country. The levels of climate change induced impacts on species ranges varied from little impact to local extinction. Some 17% of species expanded their ranges, 78% displayed range contraction (4-98%), 3% showed no response and 2% became locally extinct. The majority of range shifts (41%) were in an easterly direction, reflecting the east-west aridity gradient across the country. Species losses were highest in the west. Substantially smaller westward shifts were present in some eastern species. This may reflect a response to the strong altitudinal gradient in this region, or may be a model artifact. Species range change (composite measure reflecting range contraction and displacement) identified selected species that could act as climate change indicator taxa. Red-data and vulnerable species showed similar responses but were more likely to display range change (58% vs. 43% for all species). Predictions suggest that the flagship, Kruger National Park conservation area may loose up to 66% of the species included in this analysis. This highlights the extent of the predicted range shifts, and indicates why conflicts between conservation and other land uses are likely to escalate under conditions of climate change.10abeetles coleoptera10acommon fly belt10aconservation10aDung beetles10afragmentation10ageographical ranges10ahabitat availability10aland-use10aprotection status10arange contraction10asensed vegetation data10aspecies turnover10atsetse habitat1 aErasmus, B., F. N.1 aVan Jaarsveld, A., S.1 aChown, S., L.1 aKshatriya, M.1 aWessels, K., J.  u<Go to ISI>://00017605580000701971nas a2200277   4500008004100000245005000041210005000091260000800141300001200149490000700161520125700168653002301425653001501448653001201463653002401475653001701499653001301516653001701529653001701546100001801563700001801581700001901599700002101618700002001639856003401659       1997                        eng d00aLaboratory culture of beneficial dung scarabs0 aLaboratory culture of beneficial dung scarabs  cFeb  a124-1290 v903 aCattle dung accumulation presents problems of pasture fouling, nutrient loss, intestinal parasitosis, and pest fly development. These problems have been confronted, with variable success, with the introduction of coprophagous scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). This work reports the results of field collections and laboratory culture of immature and adult dung scarabs. We compared several treatments of eggs and larvae in search of good methods for rearing scarabs in aseptic conditions. We collected 13 abundant species from northern and central Argentina. We obtained approximate to 4,500 eggs, some of which we sent to quarantine facilities in the United States, and others which we reared in our laboratory with 5 different techniques. Five common and widespread species, Ontherus sulcator (F.), Gromphas lacordairet Brulle, Dichotomius semiaeneus (Germar), Sulcophanaeus menelas (Castelnau), and Bolbites onitoides Harold, had the highest oviposition rates and were also the easiest to rear. Two methods, freeze-dried and gamma sterilized brood masses and balls, provided the best results (i.e., percentage of beetles completing development). As a rule, the species with short larval development time and wide distributions were easier to rear.10abeetles coleoptera10abroodballs10adiptera10adung beetle rearing10aDung beetles10amuscidae10aScarabaeidae10aScarabaeinae1 aWalsh, G., C.1 aCordo, H., A.1 aBriano, J., A.1 aGandolfo, D., E.1 aLogarzo, G., A.  u<Go to ISI>://A1997WH85900019