01396nas a2200181   4500008004100000245007800041210006900119300001200188490000600200520079300206653001200999653001601011653001701027653002501044653002401069100002001093856010101113       2008                        eng d00aShort-term temporal variability in the abundance of tropical dung beetles0 aShortterm temporal variability in the abundance of tropical dung  a120-1240 v13 a1. Dung beetles are increasingly being used as a focal taxon in biodiversity and conservation studies. One of the alleged advantages of these insects is that sampling conducted in a few days can yield accurate data. 2. Dung beetles were collected twice, within a week, in a tropical dry forest in Mexico. The abundance of one species, Onthophagus landolti, increased 16 times in one of the habitats, over a period of a few days. Consequently, conclusions regarding differences between both habitats differed greatly depending on which sampling period was considered. 3. Short-term temporal variability in the abundance of dung beetles, particularly if spatially asymmetric, must carefully be considered when designing sampling protocols for this group of insects in dry tropical forests. 10aChamela10adung beetle10aScarabaeidae10atemporal variability10atropical dry forest1 aAndresen, Ellen  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/short-term-temporal-variability-abundance-tropical-dung-beetles