TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of brood parasitism on host reproductive success: evidence from larval interactions among dung beetles JF - Oecologia Y1 - 2003 A1 - Gonzalez-Megias, A. A1 - Sanchez-Pinero, F. SP - 195 EP - 202 KW - abundance KW - aphodius ater KW - assemblage KW - cleptoparasite KW - COLEOPTERA KW - community KW - coprophagous beetles KW - desert ecology KW - hymenoptera KW - intraspecific competition KW - kleptoparasitism KW - Larval mortality KW - resource utilization KW - Scarabaeidae AB - This paper investigates the effect of brood parasitism in a dung beetle assemblage in an arid region of Spain. The study was conducted during the spring season (March-May 1994-1998) using mesh cylinders buried into the ground, filled with sand and with sheep dung on top. We quantified the proportion of nests containing larvae of parasitic beetles and their effect on host larvae survival. Experiments on the effect of parasitic larvae on host-larvae survival were conducted by placing scarab brood masses (raised from captive scarabs in the laboratory) in containers with and without aphodiid larvae. During the spring, dung desiccation is rapid, preventing aphodiids nesting in the dung, and forcing these species to adopt brood parasitism as a nesting strategy. Parasitic aphodiids were found in 12-47% of scarab nests of three species. The incidence of brood parasitization was positively related with the number of brood masses contained in the nests, being also higher in the most abundant species. Field data and experiments showed that brood parasites significantly reduced host larvae survival from 74.8% in non-parasitized nests to 8.8% in parasitized nests. Because different rates of nest parasitization and mortality were caused by parasites, brood parasitism had a differential effect on different host species. Thus, brood, parasitism constitutes an important mortality factor reducing the reproductive success of the host species and potentially affecting the beetle abundance in the area. VL - 134 UR - ://000180822900005 N1 - Times Cited: 0Cited Reference Count: 57Cited References: BEGON M, 1995, ECOLOGY INDIVIDUALS BORNEMISSZA GF, 1971, PEDOBIOLOGIA, V11, P1 BORNEMISSZA GF, 1969, PEDOBIOLOGIA, V9, P223 CAMBEFORT Y, 1991, DUNG BEETLE ECOLOGY, P156 CHAPMAN TA, 1869, ENTOMOL MONTH MAG, V5, P273 CLOUDSLEYTHOMPS.JL, 1991, ECOPHYSIOLOGY DESERT CLUTTONBROCK TH, 1991, EVOLUTION PARENTAL C DAVIS ALV, 1996, AFR J ECOL, V34, P258 DAY RW, 1989, ECOL MONOGR, V59, P433 DELLACASSA G, 1983, B MUS REG SCI NAT TO, V1, P1 DOUBE BM, 1990, ECOL ENTOMOL, V15, P371 GILLER PS, 1989, J ANIM ECOL, V58, P129 GITTINGS T, 1997, ECOGRAPHY, V20, P55 GITTINGS T, 1999, PEDOBIOLOGIA, V43, P439 GONZALEZMEGIAS A, 1999, THESIS U GRANADA GRA HALFFTER G, 1966, FOLIA ENTOMOL MEXICO, V12, P1 HALFFTER G, 1982, NESTING BEHAV DUNG B HAMMOND PM, 1976, COLEOPT B, V30, P245 HANSKI I, 1980, ANN ENTOMOL FENN, V46, P57 HIRSCHBERGER P, 1996, ECOL ENTOMOL, V21, P352 HIRSCHBERGER P, 1998, OECOLOGIA, V116, P136 HOLTER P, 1979, ECOL ENTOMOL, V4, P317 HOLTER P, 1982, OIKOS, V39, P213 HOWDEN HF, 1955, J TENNESSEE ACAD SCI, V30, P64 HOWDEN HF, 1963, P US NAT MUS, V114, P1 KLEMPERER HG, 1980, ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOG, V5, P143 KREBS JR, 1993, INTRO BEHAV ECOLOGY LANDIN BO, 1961, OPUSC ENTOMOL LUND S, V19, P1 LUMARET JP, 1987, ACTA ZOOL MEX, V24, P1 LUMARET JP, 1989, B ECOLOGIE, V20, P51 MARTINPIERA F, 1993, ACTA ZOOLOGICA MEXIC, V57, P15 MARTINPIERA F, 1984, EOS, V60, P101 MUNSTERSWENDSEN M, 2000, ECOL ENTOMOL, V25, P63 NOYMEIR I, 1979, ISRAEL J BOT, V28, P1 PAULIAN R, 1982, ENCY ENTOMOLOGY, V43 PETANIDOU T, 1995, BIOL J LINN SOC, V55, P261 PITTINO R, 1986, GIORNALE ITALIANO EN, V3, P1 POLIS GA, 1991, AM NAT, V138, P123 RASA OAE, 1996, NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN, V83, P575 RICE WR, 1989, EVOLUTION, V43, P223 ROSENHEIM JA, 1989, BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, V25, P335 ROTHSTEIN SI, 1998, PARASITIC BIRDS THEI ROUGON D, 1982, B SOC ENTOMOL FR, V87, P272 ROUGON D, 1980, CR ACAD SCI D NAT, V291, P417 ROUGON D, 1991, DUNG BEETLE ECOLOGY, P230 ROUGON D, 1980, REV ECOL BIOL SOL, V17, P379 SANCHEZPINERO F, 1994, THESIS U GRANADA GRA SMITH JN, 2000, ECOLOGY MANAGEMENT C SPOFFORD M, 1986, J NAT HIST, V26, P993 STEVENSON BG, 1985, COLEOPTERISTS B, V39, P215 TALLAMY DW, 1984, BIOSCIENCE, V34, P20 TORCHIO PF, 1992, ANN ENTOMOL SOC AM, V85, P713 TORCHIO PF, 1972, MELANDERIA, V10, P1 TRINE CL, 1998, PARASITIC BIRDS THEI, P273 TRUMBO ST, 1990, ECOL ENTOMOL, V15, P347 VOLLRATH F, 1984, STRATEGIES EXPLOTATI, P61 ZAR JH, 1996, BIOSTATISTICAL ANALEnglishArticle642UHOECOLOGIA ER -