01459nas a2200145   4500008004100000245008800041210006900129260000800198300001200206490000700218520102200225653001701247100001501264856003401279       2001                        eng d00aHabitat and weather affect reproduction and size of the dung beetle Aphodius fossor0 aHabitat and weather affect reproduction and size of the dung bee  cAug  a430-4350 v263 a1. The influence of sun exposure and moisture on reproduction and size of a north temperate dung beetle Aphodius fossor was investigated. Adult beetles were added to cow pats that were either shaded or exposed and treated with different watering regimes. 2. After 26 days, more eggs and larvae were recovered from shaded and wetter pats than from exposed and drier pats. 3. At the end of the experiment, more beetles had developed in shaded and wetter pats, and these beetles were larger than those from exposed and drier pats. 4. There was no between-treatment difference in the ratio between adults in final sampling and larvae in first sampling. 5. It was concluded that exposure and moisture can influence both reproduction and size of A. fossor. It is suggested that weather may be a factor regulating reproduction in Aphodius not only through heat- or drought-induced mortality, as suggested earlier, but also by limiting the time available for egg laying. Further studies are needed to clarify this suggestion.10aDung beetles1 aVessby, K.  u<Go to ISI>://000171023100012