TY - JOUR T1 - Dung beetle diversity in South Africa: influential factors, conservation status, data inadequacies and survey design JF - African Entomology Y1 - 2002 A1 - Davis, A. L. V. SP - 53 EP - 65 KW - associations KW - biodiversity hotspots KW - COLEOPTERA KW - community KW - consequences KW - conservation KW - diversity KW - Dung KW - habitat fragmentation KW - hydrophilidae KW - populations KW - s str KW - Scarabaeidae KW - Scarabaeinae KW - south africa KW - staphylinidae KW - survey AB - Dung beetles are useful as indicators in conservation and global warming studies owing to their specialized regional and local distribution patterns. However, existing South African data are inadequate for indication at the necessary degree of spatial resolution. To improve the database, Survey methods need to Lie designed according to the spatial and temporal factors that influence dung beetle diversity. Across four major climatic regions, there are seven principal species distribution centres for dung beetles in which activity is influenced primarily by difference, in rainfall seasonality and temperature, Across these regions, generic endemism is largely concentrated around the coastline and in montane areas. The conservation status of endemic genera is discussed. At a local scale, spatial diversity is influenced primarily by soil, vegetation and dung type. Maximum local diversity of dung beetles is observed after rainfall and decreases as surface conditions become warmer and drier. After workshop discussions, a coarse-grained, asymmetrical gradsect survey grid has been designed according to vegetative, climatic and land-usage gradients across South Africa. It is suggested that each survey point across these regional gradients should comprise a quarter-degree square in which local ecological gradients should be surveyed for invertebrates, Baited pitfall trapping is an easy method to provide quantitative data for dung beetles across such environmental gradients. Lining up each catch on a tray provides a relatively quick way to compare the specimens, identify the species present, and provide a quantitative assessment of species abundance. Data collection may be conducted on one or more occasion., to accommodate seasonal and daily variation in species occurrence. This exercise could identify localities suitable for ecotourism reserves representative of the variation in ecotypes across the country, particularly, in coastal, natural grass and wooded regions, where many invertebrate taxa are endangered by habitat fragmentation including some rare dung beetle species. 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A1 - Harris, Stephen A1 - Jones, Gareth A1 - Vaughan Jennings, Nancy SP - 1283 EP - 1292 KW - agrochemicals KW - bat diet KW - biodiversity KW - diptera KW - habitat fragmentation KW - insectivores KW - light trap AB - Insects are the principal food for many animals, including bats (Chiroptera), and all species of bats in the United Kingdom feed over agricultural habitats. Bat populations are declining throughout Europe, probably in part as a result of agricultural intensification. Organic farming prohibits the use of agrochemicals, a major component of agricultural intensification, making it an ideal control for a study of intensive agricultural systems. To evaluate the impact of agricultural intensification on bat foraging, we quantified the availability of bat prey by comparing nocturnal aerial insects captured within habitats on 24 matched pairs of organic and conventional farms. Insects were identified to family and moths to species. We compared the abundance of 18 insect families commonly eaten by bats in the United Kingdom between farm types and tested for correlations of abundance with bat activity. Insect abundance, species richness, and moth species diversity were significantly higher on organic farms than on conventional farms. Insect abundance was significantly higher in pastural and water habitats on organic farms than in the same habitats on conventional farms. Of the 18 insect families that are important components of the bat diet, 5 were significantly more abundant on organic farms overall. Some were also more abundant within organic pastural, woodland, and water habitats than on conventional farmland habitats. The activity of bats that mainly ate Lepidoptera was significantly correlated with the abundance of this order. Our observations suggest that agricultural intensification has a profound impact on nocturnal insect communities. Because bats are resource limited, a reduction in prey availability through agricultural intensification will adversely affect bat populations. Less-intensive farming benefits British bat populations by providing and maintaining diverse and structurally varied habitats, which in turn support a wide selection of insect prey for bats, including insect families that are significant components of the diet of a number of rare bat species. VL - 18 ER -