02180nas a2200253   4500008004100000245012700041210006900168300001200237490000700249520124900256653002501505653001701530653002001547653001601567653001801583653004801601653002901649653003401678653001301712100002301725700002101748700001901769856013801788       2005                        eng d00aDiversity of dung and carrion beetles in a disturbed Mexican tropical montane cloud forest and on shade coffee plantations0 aDiversity of dung and carrion beetles in a disturbed Mexican tro  a601-6150 v143 aThis paper analyzes the diversity of dung and carrion beetles (Scarabaeinae and Silphidae) in four human-induced habitats of a disturbed tropical montane cloud forest: polyspecific shade coffee plantations, monospecific shade coffee plantations, tropical montane cloud forest fragments, and clear cuts. The four habitats had similar richness, species composition, and assemblage structure of dung and carrion beetles. Differences were found in abundance and biomass levels for the four dominant species in the landscape. Dung beetles were more abundant than carrion beetles, but the biomass was higher for the latter. Carrion beetles were seasonal, while dung beetles were clearly not. When forest fragments and shade coffee plantations were compared to other similar habitats in the region, the same general pattern was observed. However, forests with high disturbance and monospecific shade coffee plantations had lower species richness than forests with low and medium disturbance and polyspecific shade coffee plantations. Thus shade coffee plantations maintain connectivity between patches of cloud forest in a landscape that is strongly affected by human activities. Protecting landscape diversity appears to ensure high species richness.10aanthropogenic change10abiodiversity10acarrion beetles10adung beetle10afragmentation10amodification (biological conservation 2007)10ashade coffee plantations10atropical montane cloud forest10aVeracruz1 aArellano, Lucrecia1 aFavila, Mario, E1 aHuerta, Carmen  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/diversity-dung-and-carrion-beetles-disturbed-mexican-tropical-montane-cloud-forest-and-shade-coffee-02351nas a2200253   4500008004100000245012500041210006900166260000800235300001200243490000700255520156400262653002501826653001701851653001801868653002201886653001401908653001501922653002501937100002901962700002601991700001902017700002702036856003402063       2005                        eng d00aDung beetle community (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae : Scarabaeinae) in a tropical landscape at the Lachua Region, Guatemala0 aDung beetle community Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Scarabaeinae in a   cApr  a801-8220 v143 aBiological diversity conservation within natural reserves has been prioritized, but conservation efforts outside protected areas (where most human activities take place) have been very little considered. In this scenario, an alternative agricultural practice that may reduce the impacts of fragmentation in outer landscapes is a perforation process, which involves conservation in agricultural fields surrounded by continuous forests. Such practices enhance the positive impact of ecological services on fields. In this study we analyzed the biological diversity state in perforation fields and their surrounding forests. The analysis was done using dung beetles as biological indicators. A nested pattern in dung beetles distribution was found, which ordered the surrounding continuous forest sites as the ones with the highest species richness, followed by the perforation fields, and placed the fragmentation practice fields (continuous agricultural fields surrounding forest patches) with the lowest one. Indicator species for perforation fields and surrounding continuous forests were chosen. In general, perforation practice fields differed in composition, based upon functional groups richness and identity; it also contained a higher species richness than the fragmentation practice. Agricultural practices that enhance biological diversity conservation such as perforation, should be recommended and considered in natural resource management by local communities in order to take advantage of ecological services that otherwise may be gradually lost.10abiological diversity10aDung beetles10afragmentation10afunctional groups10alandscape10anestedness10aperforation practice1 aAvendano-Mendoza, Carlos1 aMoron-Rios, Alejandro1 aCano, Enio, B.1 aLeon-Cortes, Jorge, L.  u<Go to ISI>://00022850380000202685nas a2200385   4500008004100000245013700041210006900178260000800247300001200255490000700267520158000274653001601854653002701870653001701897653001901914653001601933653001401949653001701963653001001980653001101990653002202001653002002023653001902043653001102062653001202073653002502085100001702110700002702127700002502154700001902179700002202198700002402220700002002244856003502264       2004                        eng d00aDiscriminatory power of different arthropod data sets for the biological monitoring of anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests0 aDiscriminatory power of different arthropod data sets for the bi  cApr  a709-7320 v133 aArthropods were monitored by local parataxonomists at 12 sites of increasing anthropogenic disturbance (old and young secondary forests, savanna and cultivated gardens) at Gamba, Gabon. We report on the discriminatory power of different data sets with regard to the classification of sites along the disturbance gradient, using preliminary data accounting for 13 surveys and 142425 arthropods collected by Malaise, pitfall and yellow-pan traps. We compared the performance of different data sets. These were based upon ordinal, familial and guild composition, or upon 22 target taxa sorted to morphospecies and either considered in toto or grouped within different functional guilds. Finally we evaluated 'predictor sets' made up of a few families or other target taxa, selected on the basis of their indicator value index. Although the discriminatory power of data sets based on ordinal categories and guilds was low, that of target taxa belonging to chewers, parasitoids and predators was much higher. The data sets that best discriminated among sites of differing degrees of disturbance were the restricted sets of indicator families and target taxa. This validates the concept of predictor sets for species-rich tropical systems. Including or excluding rare taxa in the analyses did not alter these conclusions. We conclude that calibration studies similar to ours are needed elsewhere in the tropics and that this strategy will allow to devise a representative and efficient biotic index for the biological monitoring of terrestrial arthropod assemblages in the tropics.10aassemblages10aAustralian rain-forest10abiodiversity10abiotic indexes10acommunities10adiversity10aDung beetles10agabon10aguilds10ainsect herbivores10aparataxonomists10apredictor sets10ararity10aspecies10ataxonomic resolution1 aBasset, Yves1 aMavoungou, Jacques, F.1 aMikissa, Jean, Bruno1 aMissa, Olivier1 aMiller, Scott, E.1 aKitching, Roger, L.1 aAlonso, Alfonso  u<Go to ISI>://000188005900004 02748nas a2200337   4500008004100000245016200041210006900203260000800272300001200280490000700292520171700299653002702016653001402043653001702057653001402074653001402088653002502102653001502127653002402142653002602166653001002192653001602202653001902218653001502237653002902252653001302281653002702294100003502321700002002356856003402376       2003                        eng d00aEstimating the number of species not yet described and their characteristics: the case of Western Palaearctic dung beetle species (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea)0 aEstimating the number of species not yet described and their cha  cJan  a147-1660 v123 aTo determine the degree of completion of Western Palaearctic dung beetle species inventory, as well as to ascertain some of the main geographical and morphological characteristics associated with the probability of new species description, the available taxonomic and biogeographic information of the three Scarabaeoidea families that are associated with dung was analyzed. An asymptotic fit of the cumulative number of described species is used to estimate the approximate number of species not yet described. Variation partitioning and hierarchical decomposition techniques were used to explore the influence of body size, geographical range size and geographical location variables on the process of species description. Results indicate that the inventories of Western Palaearctic Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae species are almost complete, but that around 16% of Aphodiidae species have yet to be described. As the joint effect of geographical distribution and location is the main determinant of the species description rate in this family, it was predicted that new dung beetle species would be found in smaller areas of the southern and eastern Western Palaearctic region. The species body size accounted for a negligible fraction in the variation of the year of description. Both the geographical range size and the geographical location are essential variables negatively correlated with the year of species description, whose pure and combined effect can account for high percentages in the year of description variation (from 41 to 56%). The location of most of the taxonomic workforce in areas where broader-ranged generalist species prevail in the assemblages is the probable reason for this pattern.10aaccumulation functions10abody-size10aconservation10adiscovery10adiversity10aevolutionary history10aextinction10ageographic location10ageographic range size10apredi10aprobability10aprobability of10aregression10aspecies description rate10ataxonomy10avariation partitioning1 aCabrero-Sanudo, Francisco-Jose1 aLobo, Jorge, M.  u<Go to ISI>://00017952140001002439nas a2200157   4500008004100000245017200041210006900213260000800282300001400290490000700304520185400311653004402165100002102209700001702230856003402247       2004                        eng d00aA comparison of Passalidae (Coleoptera, Lamellicornia) diversity and community structure between primary and secondary tropical forest in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico0 acomparison of Passalidae Coleoptera Lamellicornia diversity and   cJun  a1257-12690 v133 aComparison of the diversity and community structure of Coleoptera (Passalidae) collected in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico, in primary and secondary tropical forest has been carried out. The saproxylophagous beetles studied can be differentiated according to their presence in three distinct microhabitats of rotting logs: underbark, sapwood - heartwood and microhabitat generalists. Over the 2-year study period, 12 passalid species were recorded (six Passalini and six Proculini) represented by a total of 2971 individuals, collected from 234 rotting logs. The rarefaction method, the lognormal species - abundance relationship, and the nonparametric jackknife method were used to compare species richness between the habitats. The data were also fitted to log series, truncated lognormal, geometric, and broken-stick species abundance models to detect changes in community structure. The community composition of Passalidae in Los Tuxtlas did not differ ostensibly between the primary and secondary forests. Neither the mean number of individuals nor the biomass per log differed significantly. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the two habitats in terms of the number of underbark, sapwood/heartwood, and microhabitat generalist species. Different richness estimators indicated that the primary forest community is only slightly richer. The slight decrease in richness of the secondary forest is related to a decrease in dominance by certain species, as well as to a more balanced abundance distribution, which is adequately described by the broken-stick model. Complementary explanations for this pattern may be: ( 1) that logging reduces the abundance of dominant species, thus preventing competitive exclusion in the secondary forest; and ( 2) that passalid diversity is not regulated by the diversity of tree species.10aforest change biodiversity dung beetles1 aCastillo, M., L.1 aLobo, J., M.  u<Go to ISI>://00022021350000202554nas a2200169   4500008004100000245014400041210006900185260000800254300001200262490000700274520189400281653001702175100001902192700001702211700001802228856013802246       2006                        eng d00aDung beetle and terrestrial mammal diversity in forests, indigenous agroforestry systems and plantain monocultures in Talamanca, Costa Rica0 aDung beetle and terrestrial mammal diversity in forests indigeno  cFeb  a555-5850 v153 aIn order to explore the importance of indigenous agroforestry systems for biodiversity conservation, we compared the abundance, species richness and diversity of dung beetles and terrestrial mammals across a gradient of different land use types from agricultural monocultures (plantains) to agroforestry systems (cocoa and banana) and forests in the BriBri and Cabecar indigenous reserves in Talamanca, Costa Rica. A total of 132,460 dung beetles of 52 species and 913 tracks of 27 terrestrial mammal species were registered. Dung beetle species richness and diversity were greatest in the forests, intermediate in the agroforestry systems and lowest in the plantain monocultures, while dung beetle abundance was greatest in the plantain monocultures. The number of mammal tracks per plot was significantly higher in forests than in plantain monocultures, whereas mammal species richness was higher in forests than in either cocoa agroforestry systems or plantain monocultures. Species composition of both terrestrial mammals and dung beetles also varied across the different land use types. Our study indicates that indigenous cocoa and banana agroforestry systems maintain an intermediate level of biodiversity (which is less than that of the original forest but significantly greater than that of plantain monocultures) and provide suitable habitat for a number of forest-dependent species. Although the agroforestry systems appear to serve as favorable habitats for many terrestrial mammal species, their potential positive contribution to mammal conservation is being offset by heavy hunting pressure in the reserves. As in other agricultural landscapes, the conservation of biodiversity in Talamanca will depend not only on maintaining the existing forest patches and reducing the conversion of traditional agroforestry systems to monocultures, but also on reducing hunting pressure.10aDung beetles1 aHarvey, C., A.1 aGonzalez, J.1 aSomarriba, E.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/dung-beetle-and-terrestrial-mammal-diversity-forests-indigenous-agroforestry-systems-and-plantain-mo00533nas a2200109   4500008004100000245013500041210006900176300001400245490000700259100001900266856013800285       2007                        eng d00aDung beetles in pasture landscapes of Central America: proliferation of synanthropogenic species and decline of forest specialists0 aDung beetles in pasture landscapes of Central America proliferat  a2149-21650 v161 aHorgan, F., G.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/dung-beetles-pasture-landscapes-central-america-proliferation-synanthropogenic-species-and-decline-f01602nas a2200169   4500008004100000245013900041210006900180260000800249300001400257490000700271520102400278653004301302100001501345700001701360700002101377856003401398       2001                        eng d00aForecasting insect species richness scores in poorly surveyed territories: the case of the Portuguese dung beetles (Col. Scarabaeinae)0 aForecasting insect species richness scores in poorly surveyed te  cAug  a1343-13670 v103 aLarge-scale biodiversity assessment of faunal distribution is needed in poorly sampled areas. In this paper, Scarabaeinae dung beetle species richness in Portugal is forecasted from a model built with a data set from areas identified as well sampled. Generalized linear models are used to relate the number of Scarabaeinae species in each Portuguese UTM 50 x 50 grid square with a set of 25 predictor variables (geographic, topographic, climatic and land cover) extracted from a geographic information system (GIS). Between-squares sampling effort unevenness, spatial autocorrelation of environmental data, non-linear relationships between variables and an assessment of the models' predictive power, the main shortcomings in geographic species richness modelling, are addressed. This methodological approach has proved to be reliable and accurate enough in estimating species richness distribution, thus providing a tool to identify areas as potential targets for conservation policies in poorly inventoried countries.10aspecies richness sampling dung beetles1 aHortal, J.1 aLobo, J., M.1 aMartin-Piera, F.  u<Go to ISI>://00017015990000802825nas a2200145   4500008004100000245011000041210006900151260000800220300001200228490000700240520236300247653001702610100001802627856003402645       2004                        eng d00aParataxonomy vs. taxonomy in biodiversity studies - pitfalls and applicability of 'morphospecies' sorting0 aParataxonomy vs taxonomy in biodiversity studies pitfalls and ap  cApr  a795-8120 v133 aParataxonomic sorting of samples to recognizable taxonomic units (RTUs, morphospecies, morphotypes or, as proposed here: parataxonomic units [PUs]) is generally considered to be a sufficiently reliable and conservative approach in ecological biodiversity studies or conservation biology. It is obviously time-saving because it avoids the burdens of taxonomy. However, evaluations of parataxonomic sorting by taxonomic resorting show many overestimations of species numbers. Hence, RTU sorting is not necessarily conservative. Sorting errors can be more than 100% (median in the present compilation: 22%). Even if the cumulative results for diverse groups like beetles have a very low overall error, the error rate in the single families is generally much higher. This pattern is likely to cause severe problems in multivariate analyses. The presumable error rate in sorting does not depend only on the group to be sorted, but also on the sorter and the sample. Therefore, the sorting error is not predictable. Since PUs are generally neither described nor assigned to existing names, the sorting results are difficult to check and it is mostly not revealed why the samples are sorted as they are. Since parataxonomy does not use existing biological knowledge, creates typological units and does not disclose its sorting criteria, inter-subjective testability and falsifiability of the sorting results are more difficult than of taxonomic identifications (or are even impossible). Parataxonomy does not fulfil the criteria of a scientific method, but is propedeutic and can be a heuristically valuable tool to find out patterns in taxonomically neglected groups. However, it is only the first step in sorting and identifying samples in biodiversity studies. PUs are useless for inventories and area selection in conservation evaluation, biogeographical and autecological studies; they provide only uncertain data for studies in species turnover and overlap, but they can be used quite reliably for global comparisons of gross species richness, non- comparative descriptions of species richness of single sites or for comparisons of sites without species overlap. If results of parataxonomic sorting show clear and biologically meaningful patterns, the sorting is likely to be reliable. Weak or no detectable patterns may easily be caused by erroneous sorting.10aDung beetles1 aKrell, F., T.  u<Go to ISI>://00018800590000902449nas a2200229   4500008004100000245009400041210006900135300001000204490000700214520167800221653001701899653001401916653002701930653001501957653001501972653001301987653002002000100002502020700002302045700002902068856012202097       2006                        eng d00aEcosystem disturbances and diversity increase: implications for invertebrate conservation0 aEcosystem disturbances and diversity increase implications for i  a25-420 v153 aAbstract. The Pantanal is one of the faunistic provinces considered as a priority area for inverte- brate conservation. However, it is one of the areas in Brazil where the local fauna is less assessed, thus needing more scientific information that could allow political decisions to be made regarding conservation. The continuous pressure for new pasture areas leads to improper habitat occupation and destruction, like fragmentation of forest areas in the region. Such alterations can cause different impacts on the local fauna, including the soil arthropods. The main objective of this work was to compare the morphospecies composition, diversity and density of the soil arthropod fauna between a secondary single species forest (Cambarazal) and a cultivated pasture with exotic and native grass species, using only pitfall traps as sampling method. We found a great variation on the vegetal cover among environments. A higher humidity in the forest soil was observed, as well as a greater com- paction of the soil in the cultivated pasture. A total of 3635 individuals were collected, belonging to 214 different morphospecies. 139 morphospecies were collected in the forest (37% exclusive to this environment), while 134 morphospecies were collected in the cultivated pasture (35% exclusive). The diversity was higher in the forest (H¢ = 1.634) than in the cultivated pasture (H¢ = 1.253). How- ever, considering the area as a whole (forest and pasture) the global diversity was increased. In this paper we discuss about the effects of environmental changes on soil arthropod diversity and propose a hypothetical model for invertebrate management in mosaic ecosystems.10aconservation10adiversity10aEcosystem disturbances10aManagement10aNeotropics10apantanal10aSoil Arthropods1 aLoyola, Rafael, Dias1 aBrito, Sofia-Luiza1 aFerreira, Rodrigo, Lopes  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/ecosystem-disturbances-and-diversity-increase-implications-invertebrate-conservation02192nas a2200145   4500008004100000245013900041210006900180260000800249300001200257490000700269520159400276653001701870100002101887856013801908       2006                        eng d00aHabitat specificity and variation of coleopteran assemblages between habitats in a southern african (Swaziland) agricultural landscape0 aHabitat specificity and variation of coleopteran assemblages bet  cJan  a453-4630 v153 aAssessment of Coleopteran diversity and abundance was carried out in the lowveld region of Swaziland by pitfall trapping in five distinct habitats. Additionally, the study was to ascertain if any of the families collected illustrated habitat fidelity. 18 coleopteran families, comprising 2903 individuals were collected, with an additional 29 unidentified specimens, totalling 2932 beetles. Numerically, the top five families were the Scarabaeidae (2425), Carabidae (211), Tenebrionidae (149), Nitidulidae (37) and Curculionidae (22). 66.6% of all specimens collected were harboured within the pine windbreak while the lowest number (2.6%) was collected from the mature citrus orchard. The highest proportion (77%) of scarabaeid beetles collected occurred within the pine windbreak. Habitat specificity was illustrated by one family, Meloidae, which was found only in the young orchard. Community analysis was further carried out to ascertain distribution patterns of the dominant coleopteran families. Three scarabaeid species were found only in the pine windbreak while three carabid species occurred only in the indigenous savanna. Significant differences between habitats were observed in the number of beetles collected while no significant differences were observed in terms of the number of families observed in each habitat (p < 0.05). Results indicate that conservation of the various habitat patches within the mosaic studied could facilitate conservation of whole communities rather than individual species thus facilitating effective conservation of the agricultural landscape.10aDung beetles1 aMagagula, C., N.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/habitat-specificity-and-variation-coleopteran-assemblages-between-habitats-southern-african-swazilan00771nas a2200205   4500008004100000245012300041210006900164300001400233490000700247653001700254653001600271653001800287653001600305653001900321653001100340653002400351100002300375700002900398856013800427       2002                        eng d00aDung beetles in continous forest, forest fragments and in an agricultural mosiac habitat island at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico0 aDung beetles in continous forest forest fragments and in an agri  a1903-19180 v1110aconservation10adung beetle10afragmentation10aLos Tuxtlas10amammal mammals10aMexico10atropical rainforest1 aEstrada, Alejandro1 aCoates-Estrada, Rosamond  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/dung-beetles-continous-forest-forest-fragments-and-agricultural-mosiac-habitat-island-los-tuxtlas-me02420nas a2200337   4500008004100000245007600041210006800117260000800185300001200193490000600205520151000211653001701721653003001738653001601768653002201784653001601806653001601822653001601838653000901854653002701863653001101890653001801901653001901919653002601938653002101964653001201985653001001997653002202007100001902029856003402048       1996                        eng d00aThe diversity of soil communities, the 'poor man's tropical rainforest'0 adiversity of soil communities the poor mans tropical rainforest  cFeb  a135-1680 v53 aThis paper reviews the various factors that facilitate the high biodiversity of soil communities, concentrating on soil animals. It considers the problems facing soil ecologists in the study of soil communities and identifies the important role such communities play in terrestrial ecosystems. The review also considers diversity and abundance patterns. A range of factors are identified that may contribute to the biodiversity of soil and their role is reviewed. These include diversity of food resources and trophic specialization, habitat favourableness, habitat heterogeneity in space and time, scale and spatial extent of the habitat, niche dynamics and resource partitioning, productivity, disturbance and aggregation. Biodiversity of soil organisms appears high, largely attributable to the nested set of ecological worlds in the soil - the relationship between the range of size groupings of soil organisms relative to the spatial heterogeneity perceived by these various groups - that provide a large 'area for life' for the micro- and mesofauna. The role of aggregation and how it relates to the spatial scale under consideration and to species interactions amongst soil animals is largely unknown at present. The role of disturbance is equivocal and man's activities more often than not seem to lead to a reduced biodiversity of soil communities. This paper also identifies areas where further work is desirable to improve our understanding of the structure and functioning of soil communities.10abiodiversity10aburying beetles silphidae10acoexistence10acommunity ecology10acompetition10acomposition10aDisturbance10aDung10aecological communities10aforest10aheterogeneity10amaturity index10aresource partitioning10asoil communities10aspecies10asucce10atemporal patterns1 aGiller, P., S.  u<Go to ISI>://A1996TW7050000202185nas a2200205   4500008004100000245010000041210006900141300001400210490000600224520149700230653001501727653001401742653001401756653001201770653001701782653001401799100002501813700002001838856012101858       1996                        eng d00aGame and cattle trampling, and impacts of human dwellings on arthropods at a game park boundary0 aGame and cattle trampling and impacts of human dwellings on arth  a1545-15560 v53 aSeven grassland sites were sampled at South Africa's Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Park boundary with the surrounding land, to assess changes in arthropod diversity in response to land use. Epigaeic arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps and a sweep net. In all, 262 morphospecies were collected, but this is an underestimate of total local species richness. Fifty percent of the species caught were single occurrences. The number of species, families and orders represented at each of the seven sites was not significantly different, but the number of individuals was significantly different. Between-site comparisons, using multivariate statistics, did not reveal any strong site groupings, with all sites being unique. The conclusion is that the reserve boundary does not significantly divide arthropod diversity on a simple inside-versus-outside basis. A major factor influencing the arthropod assemblages was intensity of land use. Indigenous game animals and domestic cattle had the same effect, and it was the intensity of trampling that was important rather than the type of trampling. Human settlements had a major impoverishing effect. The Coleoptera families, Cicindelidae, Staphylindae and Carabidae, were particularly sensitive indicator taxa of land use. Scarabaeidae species were the only group that were severely affected by the fence boundary, simply because their food source, the faeces of large native mammals, was inside, leaving them without resources outside the reserve.10aarthropods10aboundary.10aGame Park10aimpacts10asouth africa10atrampling1 aRivers-Moore, N., A.1 aSamways, M., J.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/game-and-cattle-trampling-and-impacts-human-dwellings-arthropods-game-park-boundary02440nas a2200169   4500008004100000245012900041210006900170260000800239300001200247490000700259520190900266653001702175100000502192700002002197700001902217856003402236       2005                        eng d00aChanges of dung beetle communities from rainforests towards agroforestry systems and annual cultures in Sulawesi (Indonesia)0 aChanges of dung beetle communities from rainforests towards agro  cApr  a863-8770 v143 aLittle is known about how tropical land-use systems contribute to the conservation of functionally important insect groups, including dung beetles. In a study at the margin of Lore Lindu National Park (a biodiversity hotspot in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia) dung-beetle communities were sampled in natural forest, young secondary forest, agroforestry systems (cacao plantations with shade trees) and annual cultures (maize fields), each with four replicates (n = 16 sites). At each site we used 10 pitfall traps, baited with cattle dung, along a 100 m transect for six 3-day periods. The number of trapped specimens and species richness at the natural forest sites was higher than in all land-use systems, which did not significantly differ. Each land-use system contained, on average, 75% of the species richness of the natural forest, thereby indicating their importance for conservation. However, a two-dimensional scaling plot based on NESS indices (m = 6) indicated distinct dung beetle communities for both forest types, while agroforestry systems and annual cultures exhibited a pronounced overlap. Mean body size of dung beetles was not significantly influenced by land-use intensity. Five of the six most abundant dung beetle species were recorded in all habitats, whereas the abundance of five other species was significantly related to habitat type. Mean local abundance and number of occupied sites were closely correlated, further indicating little habitat specialisation. The low dung beetle diversity (total of 18 recorded species) may be due to the absence of larger mammals in Sulawesi during historical times, even though Sulawesi is the largest island of Wallacea. In conclusion, the dung beetle fauna of the lower montane forest zone in Central Sulawesi appears to be relatively robust to man-made habitat changes and the majority of species did not exhibit strong habitat preferences.10aDung beetles1 a1 aSchulze, C., H.1 aTscharntke, T.  u<Go to ISI>://00022850380000600611nas a2200157   4500008004100000245010600041210006900147300001400216490000700230653001700237100002100254700001700275700001500292700001700307856012900324       2001                        eng d00aPlants, insects and birds in semi-natural pastures in relation to local habitat and landscape factors0 aPlants insects and birds in seminatural pastures in relation to   a1839-18630 v1010aDung beetles1 aSöderström, B.1 aSvensson, B.1 aVessby, K.1 aGlimskar, A.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/plants-insects-and-birds-semi-natural-pastures-relation-local-habitat-and-landscape-factors00796nas a2200217   4500008004100000245013000041210006900171300001400240490000600254653001700260653001500277653001300292653001100305653003800316653001500354653002000369100001600389700001900405700001600424856013800440       2000                        eng d00aConservation strategy of a nature reserve in Mediterranean ecosystems: the effects of protection from grazing on biodiversity0 aConservation strategy of a nature reserve in Mediterranean ecosy  a1707-17210 v910aDung beetles10aendemicity10aendemism10aimpact10ainvertebrate conservation mammals10aManagement10avascular plants1 aVerdu, Jose1 aCrespo, Manuel1 aGalante, E.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/conservation-strategy-nature-reserve-mediterranean-ecosystems-effects-protection-grazing-biodiversit01975nas a2200181   4500008004100000245005900041210005600100260000800156300001400164490000600178520145300184653002901637100002001666700002601686700002101712700002601733856003401759       1998                        eng d00aAn evaluation of the gradsect biological survey method0 aevaluation of the gradsect biological survey method  cAug  a1093-11210 v73 aBiological surveys are necessary to gather species distribution data for the identification of priority conservation areas. The rationale of the gradsect method is that sampling (transects) oriented along the steepest environmental gradient should detect the maximum number of species in an area. The efficiency of the gradsect survey method was evaluated by comparing it to random, systematic and habitat-specific survey methods, during faunal held surveys (target groups: birds and dung beetles). Three gradsects were positioned within the study area to follow the major physiographical characteristics, incorporate all environmental strata (land facets) and yet be as logistically convenient as possible. The efficiency of survey methods was expressed as the number of species recorded per sampling unit effort and illustrated using bootstrap estimations to plot species accumulation curves. The gradsect method proved to be as efficient as the habitat-specific survey method and consistently more efficient than the systematic and random surveys for both taxa sampled. The present study therefore illustrates that the gradsect survey method provides a cost- effective and swift representative sample of regional fauna. Moreover, the results indicate that land-form sequences, specifically 'land facets', are useful surrogates when sampling environmental diversity where distinct environmental gradients such as altitude and rainfall are absent.10aecological data analysis1 aWessels, K., J.1 aVan Jaarsveld, A., S.1 aGrimbeek, J., D.1 aVan der Linde, M., J.  u<Go to ISI>://00007812980000702216nas a2200169   4500008004100000245010900041210006900150260000800219300001400227490000700241520169000248653001701938100002401955700001601979700001701995856003402012       2004                        eng d00aEffects of a hydropower plant on Coleopteran diversity and abundance in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania0 aEffects of a hydropower plant on Coleopteran diversity and abund  cJul  a1453-14640 v133 aThe effects of river flow diversion on biodiversity were assessed using Coleoptera as an indicator group in three habitats of the Kihansi Gorge (Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania), before and after commissioning of a hydropower plant. Data collected using sweep netting and pitfall traps showed that the effect of diversion of the river flow was site-specific, affecting particularly the spray habitat. Rarefaction analysis of both sweep netting and pitfall samples indicated that the expected richness of Coleoptera declined significantly in all habitats after commissioning of the power plant. Sweep netting and pitfall samples showed that the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index value before the diversion of the river flow was in the spray zone, but the index value decreased after diversion. Changes in the other two habitats were less prominent. Analysis of variance using diversity index values from five pitfall samples in each habitat type before and after commissioning indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the diversity index between the two sampling periods or among the three habitat types. Renkonen's similarity index between habitats showed that pitfall samples had higher similarity (greater than or equal to87%) than did samples from sweep netting (less than or equal to69%). It is suggested that for mitigation purposes, artificial spray systems, which have been installed in other wetlands of the Kihansi Gorge, also be installed to cover the whole Lower Wetland in which this study was undertaken. In order to maintain overall biodiversity in the Kihansi Gorge, it is suggested that the ecosystem conservation approach be prioritised.10aDung beetles1 aZilihona, I., J. E.1 aNiemela, J.1 aNummelin, M.  u<Go to ISI>://000220411800003