@article {1332, title = {Diversity of dung and carrion beetles in a disturbed Mexican tropical montane cloud forest and on shade coffee plantations}, journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, year = {2005}, note = {digital copy}, pages = {601-615}, abstract = {This 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.}, keywords = {anthropogenic change, biodiversity, carrion beetles, dung beetle, fragmentation, modification (biological conservation 2007), shade coffee plantations, tropical montane cloud forest, Veracruz}, author = {Arellano, Lucrecia and Favila, Mario E and Huerta, Carmen} } @article {1334, title = {Response of dung beetle assemblages to landscape structure in remnant natural and modified habitats in Southern Mexico}, journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, volume = {1}, year = {2008}, pages = {253-262}, abstract = {1. To provide reliable tools for landscape management in tropical regions, it is important to recognise the emergent properties of landscape heterogeneity and to understand their influence on different components of biodiversity. 2. The effects of habitat type, patch size and shape, canopy cover, distance between habitats, and elevation were examined on the partitioned diversity (alpha, beta and gamma) of dung beetles in a transformed landscape in southern Mexico. 3. In total, 4109 individuals belonging to 28 species of dung beetle were recorded in the entire landscape. Alpha diversity was similar among habitats, although species com- position was more similar between forest remnants and living fences than between living fences and pastures. Beta diversity was related to differences in elevation and distance between habitats. The distance between fragments was significantly correlated with the mean number of beetle captures and species richness per site. Gamma diversity depended more on species turnover (beta diversity) than on local species richness. 4. In general, living fences and pastures with trees, and small forest patches retain a significant proportion of the fauna typically associated with pristine forest habitats. The remaining tracts of forest, along with the contemporary landscape elements may offer suitable habitats for future recolonisation by other insect species in heavily disturbed landscapes in tropical Mexico.}, keywords = {Alpha and beta diversity, biodiversity, indicator groups, landscape management, living fences, pastures, Scarabaeinae, tropical dry forest.}, author = {Arellano, Lucrecia and Leon-Cortes, Jorge L. and Halffter, Gonzalo} } @article {1353, title = {Comunidade de escarabeineos (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) copro-necrofagos da regiao de Brejo Novo, Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brasil}, journal = {Revista Brasileira de Entomologia}, volume = {51}, number = {2}, year = {2007}, month = {june}, pages = {228-233}, abstract = {This paper reports the results of the preliminary survey of copro-necrophagous dung beetles of Brejo Novo region, Caruaru, Pernambuco, as well as some aspects of the community structure such as seasonality, diversity, equitability, richness and abundance of species. Ten samplings with intervals of 30 days and duration of 48 hours, fortnightly were done between September 2003 to July 2004. Scarab beetles were collected with 24 pitfall traps baited with two types of baits, human excrements and rotting bovine meat. A total of 1,540 individuals belonging to six tribes, 12 genera and 28 species were collected. The species Canthon af. carbonarius, Canthon chalybaeus, Dichotomius nisus, D. semisquamosus, Digitonthophagus gazella and Eurysternus hirtellus are, apparently, adapted to the studied environment. Traps baited with human excrements attracted 826 individuals and those with rotting bovine meat attracted 714 specimens. Large number of species (15) considered {\textquotedblleft}rare{\textquotedblright} occurred, being three of them {\textquotedblleft}singletons{\textquotedblright}, two {\textquotedblleft}doubletons{\textquotedblright} and 10 with abundance between three and 10 individuals; 13 species were considered {\textquotedblleft}common{\textquotedblright}. Of the analyzed species, seven present generalist alimentary habits, four are strictly coprophagous and one is strictly necrophagous. Positive correlations were verified between the precipitation and the abundance of the individuals and the species richness. This preliminary survey of the dung beetles of the Brejo Novo region contributed to increase the number of species registered for Pernambuco and northeast region of Brazil. }, keywords = {Alimentary habit, biodiversity, brazil, ecology, Scarabaeinae}, author = {Barbosa Silva, Fernando Augusto and Hernandez, M. I. M. and Ide, Sergio and de Moura, Rita de Cassia} } @article {1357, title = {Discriminatory power of different arthropod data sets for the biological monitoring of anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests}, journal = {Biodiversity And Conservation}, volume = {13}, number = {4}, year = {2004}, month = {Apr}, pages = {709-732}, abstract = {Arthropods 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 {\textquoteright}predictor sets{\textquoteright} 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.}, keywords = {assemblages, Australian rain-forest, biodiversity, biotic indexes, communities, diversity, Dung beetles, gabon, guilds, insect herbivores, parataxonomists, predictor sets, rarity, species, taxonomic resolution}, url = {://000188005900004 }, author = {Basset, Yves and Mavoungou, Jacques F. and Mikissa, Jean Bruno and Missa, Olivier and Miller, Scott E. and Kitching, Roger L. and Alonso, Alfonso} } @article {1551, title = {Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) assemblages across a natural forest-cerrado ecotone in Minas Gerais, Brazil}, journal = {Neotropical Entomology}, volume = {34}, number = {5}, year = {2005}, month = {Sep/Oct}, pages = {721-731}, abstract = {Variations in assemblage attributes across ecotones provides clear examples on how organisms perceive and respond to environmental changes, even at small scales. Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) have been used as bioindicators of habitat quality due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. Dung beetles were sampled across a natural forest-cerrado ecotone in Brazil, and associated changes in assemblage structure were examined. Edge effects, here defined as consistent changes in assemblage parameters in relation to the distance to the forest-cerrado border, were also examined. Density of individuals and species were higher in the forest than in the cerrado, but overall richness was similar between habitats after controlling for sample sizes. Species composition differed greatly between habitats, and shared species were consistently more abundant in one or another habitat. Edge effects were not detected on richness nor species composition, and only weak effects were observed on abundance. It is concluded that the effect of the habitat (forest vs. cerrado) has a much stronger effect on the assemblage structure than the presence of the edge: dung beetles responded strongly to change in habitats, but weakly to the proximity of the edge between these habitats. }, keywords = {Atlantic Forest, biodiversity, brazil, edge effect, spatial distribution}, author = {Duraes, Renata and Martins, Waldney P, and Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z.} } @article {1783, title = {Aggregation and coexistence of dung beetles in montane rain forest in deforested siters in central Peru}, journal = {Journal of Tropical Ecology}, volume = {22}, year = {2006}, pages = {359-370}, abstract = {The {\textquoteleft}aggregation model of coexistence{\textquoteright} predicts that a strong and independent aggregation of species across ephemeral resource patches promotes species coexistence and maintains diversity. This study examines the role of aggregation in maintaining tropical dung beetle diversity and the effects of deforestation on aggregation patterns and diversity loss. Using clusters of pitfall traps, dung beetle aggregation was quantified in natural and disturbed habitat at nested temporal and spatial scales in central Peru. The results indicate that dung was colonized by a greater number of species, many of which were large, leading to a higher total beetle biomass in forest habitat than in deforested, farm habitat. Beetles were intraspecifically aggregated at each spatial scale examined. Habitat-type (forest/deforested) had no effect on the intensity of intra- or interspecific aggregation. Analyses of aggregation patterns revealed that dung beetle assemblages in forest habitat were generally saturated whereas in deforested habitat they were unsaturated. In general, interspecific aggregation was too weak relative to intraspecific aggregation to explain the high diversity of species in forest habitat. Other mechanisms, including resource partitioning are likely to play a greater role in maintaining the diversity of dung beetle assemblages in the region. These results also indicate that the loss of species from disturbed habitat has not been due to a breakdown in the aggregation mechanism. }, keywords = {Aggregation model, biodiversity, biomass, coexistence, community structure, deforestation, habitat change, Peru, Scarabaeidae, species richness}, author = {Horgan, Finbarr G} } @article {1866, title = {Scarabaeidae e Aphodiidae coprofagos em pastagens cultivadas em area do cerrado sul-mato-grossense}, journal = {Revista Brasileira de Zoociencias}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, pages = {81-93}, keywords = {biodiversity, brazil, dung beetle, horn fly, pitfall}, isbn = {1517-6770}, author = {Koller, Wilson W. and Gomes, Alberto and Rodrigues, Sergio R. and Goiozo, Paulo Felipe Izique} } @article {1934, title = {Modelling the species richness distribution of French dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) and delimiting the predictive capacity of different groups of explanatory variables}, journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, year = {2002}, month = {Jul}, pages = {265-277}, abstract = {Aim To predict French Scarabaeidae dung beetle species richness distribution, and to determine the possible underlying causal factors. Location The entire French territory has been studied by dividing it into 301 grid cells of 0.72 x 0.36 degrees. Method Species richness distribution was predicted using generalized linear models to relate the number of species with spatial, topographic and climate variables in grid squares previously identified as well sampled (n = 66). The predictive function includes the curvilinear relationship between variables, interaction terms and the significant third-degree polynomial terms of latitude and longitude. The final model was validated by a jack-knife procedure. The underlying causal factors were investigated by partial regression analysis, decomposing the variation in species richness among spatial, topographic and climate type variables. Results The final model accounts for 86.2\% of total deviance, with a mean jack-knife predictive error of 17.7\%. The species richness map obtained highlights the Mediterranean as the region richest in species, and the less well-explored south-western region as also being species-rich. The largest fraction of variability (38\%) in the number of species is accounted for by the combined effect of the three groups of explanatory variables. The spatially structured climate component explains 21\% of variation, while the pure climate and pure spatial components explain 14\% and 11\%, respectively. The effect of topography was negligible. Conclusions Delimiting the adequately inventoried areas and elaborating forecasting models using simple environmental variables can rapidly produce an estimate of the species richness distribution. Scarabaeidae species richness distribution seems to be mainly influenced by temperature. Minimum mean temperature is the most influential variable on a local scale, while maximum and mean temperature are the most important spatially structured variables. We suggest that species richness variation is mainly conditioned by the failure of many species to go beyond determined temperature range limits.}, keywords = {auto, biodiversity, conservation biology, determinants, diversity, Dung beetles, environmental components, France, modelling distributions, northern finland, patterns, scale, species richness, species richness distribution, variance partitioning, wildlife}, url = {://000176648100001}, author = {Lobo, J. M. and Lumaret, J. P. and Jay-Robert, P.} } @article {1936, title = {Searching for a predictive model for species richness of Iberian dung beetle based on spatial and environmental variables}, journal = {Conservation Biology}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, year = {2002}, note = {digital copy}, month = {Feb}, pages = {158-173}, abstract = {In Mediterranean countries, inventories of many animal groups particularly insects, are incomplete or nonexistent. Hence, a feasible spatial picture of unequally surveyed areas is required to ascertain which faunistic surveys are good enough to produce reliable estimates of species richness. We used generalized linear models to build a multiple-regression function through which we predicted the distribution of Iberian dung beetle species richness. Given the scarcity and unevenness of the species-richness spatial distribution, the number of records of a dung beetle database (BANDASCA), falling within each of the 50 x 50 km grid squares, was chosen as a measure of the sampling effort for that square. Examining the asymptotic relationship between the number of dung-beetle species and database records for each physioclimatic Iberian subregion, we found that 82 grid squares (32\% of the total) were adequately sampled. Dung-beetle species richness was related in each of these 82 cells to 24 explanatory variables. Curvilinear functions, interaction terms, and the significant third-degree polynomial terms of latitude and longitude were included to model species-richness distribution. The final model accounted for 62.4\% of the total deviance after we eliminated seven outlier squares, with maximum elevation, grassland area, land-use diversity, forest area, geological diversity, interaction of terrestrial area and maximum elevation, and interaction between calcareous rock, and geological diversity and latitude being the most significant independent variables. The residuals of the function were not spatially autocorrelated, and we validated the final model by a jackknife procedure. Large and environmentally complex hotspots in the Iberian Central, Baetic, and Subbaetic mountain ranges stand out from the emerging map of species richness. Further detailed research is required to determine the complementarity of the faunas of these two main hotspots, the key question in conservation planning for a dung-feeding beetle.}, keywords = {Africa, atlas, autocorrelation, biodiversity, butterflies, communities, conservation, insects, patterns, plants}, url = {://000173726400016}, author = {Lobo, J. M. and Martin-Piera, F.} } @article {1665, title = {Interpreting the {\textquoteright}selection effect{\textquoteright} of biodiversity on ecosystem function}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {8}, year = {2005}, pages = {846-856}, abstract = {Experimental ecosystems often function differently than expected under the null hypothesis that intra- and interspecific interactions are identical. Recent theory attributes this to the {\textquoteleft}selection effect{\textquoteright} (dominance by species with particular traits), and the {\textquoteleft}complementarity effect{\textquoteright} (niche differentiation and/or facilitative interactions). Using the Price Equation, I show that the {\textquoteleft}selection effect{\textquoteright} only partially reflects dominance by species with particular traits at the expense of other species, and therefore is only partially analogous to natural selection. I then derive a new, tripartite partition of the difference between observed and expected ecosystem function. The {\textquoteleft}dominance effect{\textquoteright} is analogous to natural selection. {\textquoteleft}Trait-independent complementarity{\textquoteright} occurs when species function better than expected, independent of their traits and not at the expense of other species. {\textquoteleft}Trait-dependent complementarity{\textquoteright} occurs when species with particular traits function better than expected, but not at the expense of other species. I illustrate the application of this new partition using experimental data. }, keywords = {Additive partition, biodiversity, complementarity effect, ecosystem function, natural selection, Price Equation, selection effect, tripartite partition}, author = {Fox, Jeremy W.} } @article {1674, title = {The cost-effectiveness of biodiversity surveys in tropical forests}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {11}, year = {2008}, pages = {139-150}, abstract = {The identification of high-performance indicator taxa that combine practical feasibility and ecological value requires an understanding of the costs and benefits of surveying different taxa. We present a generic and novel framework for identifying such taxa, and illustrate our approach using a large-scale assessment of 14 different higher taxa across three forest types in the Brazilian Amazon, estimating both the standardized survey cost and the ecological and biodiversity indicator value for each taxon. Survey costs varied by three orders of magnitude, and dung beetles and birds were identified as especially suitable for evaluating and monitoring the ecological consequences of habitat change in our study region. However, an exclusive focus on such taxa occurs at the expense of understanding patterns of diversity in other groups. To improve the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity research we encourage a combination of clearer research goals and the use of an objective evidence-based approach to selecting study taxa. }, keywords = {biodiversity, cost-effectiveness, indicator species, sampling efficiency, Tropical forests}, author = {Gardner, T. A. and Barlow, J. and Araujo, I. S. and Avila-Pires, T. C. and Bonaldo, A. B. and Costa, J. E. and Esposito, M. C. and Ferreira, L. V. and Hawes, J. and Hernandez, M. I. M. and Hoogmoed, M. S. and Leite, R. N. and Lo-Man-Hung, N. F. and Malcolm, J. R. and Martins, M. B. and Mestre, L. A.} } @article {1680, title = {The diversity of soil communities, the {\textquoteright}poor man{\textquoteright}s tropical rainforest{\textquoteright}}, journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, year = {1996}, note = {Times Cited: 46Cited Reference Count: 125Cited References: ABBOTT I, 1980, SOIL BIOL BIOCHEM, V12, P455 ANDERSON JM, 1978, J ANIM ECOL, V47, P787 ANDERSON JM, 1978, OECOLOGIA, V32, P341 ANDERSON JM, 1974, OECOLOGIA BERLIN, V14, P111 ANDERSON JM, 1975, PROGR SOIL ZOOLOGY, P51 ARNETT RH, 1990, SYSTEMATICS N AM INS, P165 ASKIDIS MD, 1991, PEDOBIOL, V35, P53 BAATH E, 1980, PEDOBIOLOGIA, V20, P85 BEHANPELLETIER VM, 1992, CAN BIODIV, V2, P5 BEHANPELLETIER VM, 1993, MEM ENTOMOL SOC CAN, V165, P11 BEHANPELLETIER VM, 1983, REV ECOL BIOL SOL, V20, P221 BERNARD EC, 1992, BIOL FERT SOILS, V14, P99 BLACKITH RE, 1975, P R IR ACAD B, V75, P345 BONGERS T, 1990, OECOLOGIA, V83, P14 BROCKIE RE, 1986, OECOLOGIA, V70, P24 BROWN JH, 1988, ANAL BIOGEOGRAPHY IN, P57 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BRIT ECOL, V4, P243 VEGTER JJ, 1983, PEDOBIOLOGIA, V25, P253 VILLALOBOS FJ, 1990, REV ECOL BIOL SOL, V27, P73 WEIL R, 1979, SOIL BIOL BIOCHEM, V11, P666 WHITFORD WG, 1992, GLOBAL WARMING BIOL, P124 WILLIAMSON M, 1988, ANAL BIOGEOGRAPHY, P91 WILSON DS, 1984, ECOL ENTOMOL, V9, P205 WILSON EO, 1992, DIVERSITY LIFE WOLDA H, 1987, ORG COMMUNITIES PAST, P69 WOOD TG, 1976, ROLE TERRESTRIAL AQU, P145 YEATES GW, 1987, BIOL FERT SOILS, V5, P225EnglishReviewTW705BIODIVERS CONSERV}, month = {Feb}, pages = {135-168}, abstract = {This 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 {\textquoteright}area for life{\textquoteright} 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{\textquoteright}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.}, keywords = {biodiversity, burying beetles silphidae, coexistence, community ecology, competition, composition, Disturbance, Dung, ecological communities, forest, heterogeneity, maturity index, resource partitioning, soil communities, species, succe, temporal patterns}, url = {://A1996TW70500002}, author = {Giller, P. S.} } @article {2103, title = {On the statistical significance of functional diversity effects}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {18}, year = {2004}, pages = {297-303}, abstract = {1. Changes in biodiversity can affect ecosystem processes through a variety of pathways, such as changes in community structure, loss of a keystone or changes in resource use patterns among species. The latter, also known as resource use complementarity, is an established mechanistic link between species and ecosystems. 2. At present, functional group richness is the dominant measure of the extent of resource use complementarity and has been manipulated in several experiments. These groups are constructed a priori using information about differences between species and a statistically significant effect is typically identified by standard parametric tests. These tests implicitly assume that the a priori functional groups are correct. 3. Avoiding this assumption requires a randomization (bootstrap) test of statistical significance that accounts for the effects of grouping per se . This test compares the observed test statistic to the distribution of the test statistic resulting from random assignment of species to groups. 4. Re-analyses of experimental manipulations of plant functional diversity by boot- strapping the critical significance value changed the ecological interpretation of results in nearly half of the experiments. This occurred because random assignment of species to functional groups frequently creates a strong relationship between functional diver- sity and ecosystem functioning. 5. The significant bootstrapped results that were found perhaps represent some of the most convincing evidence that functional diversity is an important determinant of local-scale ecosystem functioning. }, keywords = {biodiversity, bootstrap, complementarity, ecosystem functioning, functional group}, author = {Petchey, O. L.} } @article {2132, title = {Copro-necrophagous beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) diversity in an agroecosystem in Yucatan, Mexico}, journal = {Revista de Biologia Tropical}, volume = {55}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, pages = {83-99}, abstract = {Scarabaeinae are sensitive to structural habitat changes caused by disturbance. We compared coprone- crophagous beetle (Scarabaeinae) community structure in three differently managed zones within an agroeco- system of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. We placed dung and carrion traps once a month from June 2004 through May 2005. The beetle community included 17 species from the genera Canthon, Canthidium, Deltochilum, Pseudocanthon, Malagoniella, Onthophagus, Phanaeus, Copris, Uroxys, Sisyphus and Ateuchus. The secondary vegetation had a higher beetle diversity than the other two zones. Species richness was highest in the Brosimum alicastrum plantation. The pasture had the lowest species diversity and richness, but exhibited the highest abundance of Scarabaeinae in the dry season. The two zones with extensive tree cover were the most diverse. Roller beetles were dominant over burrower species and small-sized species outnumbered large species. Our data show two important issues: beetle species in the pasture extended their activity to the beginning of the dry season, while abundances dropped in the other, unirrigated zones; and the possibility that the Scarabaeinae living in neotropical forests are opportunistic saprophages and have specialized habits for resources other than dung. The B. alicastrum plantation is beneficial to the entire ranch production system because it functions as a dispersion and development area for stenotopic species limited to tree cover.}, keywords = {agroecosystems, biodiversity, Brosimum alicastrum, fragmentation, Scarabaeinae, Yucatan.}, author = {Reyes Novelo, Enrique and Delfin-Gonzalez, Hugo and Moron, Miguel-Angel} } @article {2324, title = {Abundance and species richness of nocturnal insects on organic and conventional farms: effects of agricultural intensification on bat foraging}, journal = {Conservation Biology}, volume = {18}, number = {5}, year = {2004}, month = {oct}, pages = {1283-1292}, abstract = {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. }, keywords = {agrochemicals, bat diet, biodiversity, diptera, habitat fragmentation, insectivores, light trap}, author = {Wickramasinghe, Liat P. and Harris, Stephen and Jones, Gareth and Vaughan Jennings, Nancy} } @article {2357, title = {Species richness in Mediterranean agroecosystems: spatial and temporal analysis for biodiversity conservation}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {134}, year = {2007}, pages = {113-121}, abstract = {We used dung beetles as an indicator group to identify the most important habitats for bio- diversity conservation in a Mediterranean traditional agroecosystem. The relationships between traditional grazing and farming activities and biodiversity were analysed by com- paring species richness and temporal turnover across three different habitat types, defined according to vegetation structure and human land use. In this study, both spatial (land- scape, among-habitats) and temporal (intra-annual, seasonal) analyses were contemplated at mesoscale. The measurement and use of temporal beta diversity (i.e. an index of temporal species turnover) in conservation biology showed that it is a simple method to characterize and compare different habitat species-assemblages, particularly when time seems to be a sig- nificant factor in explaining biodiversity features. Our results showed open mosaic areas as the richest and most temporally heteroge- neous habitats. We suggest the maintenance of traditional human activities carried out in these areas, since they have been a significant diversification agent, to avoid the loss of the high Mediterranean biological diversity. }, keywords = {agroecosystem, biodiversity, conservation, Dung beetles, Mountainous Mediterranean, Temporal turnover measures}, author = {Zamora, Jorge and Verdu, Jose R. and Galante, Eduardo} }