Dung Beetle Surveys

Dung beetles provide vital services for the UK cattle farming industry. By removing unwanted dung from pastures, they help to improve field conditions, which in turn reduces the presence of pest flies and gastrointestinal parasites. The flies and parasites would normally interact with the dung during their life cycles. However, with the dung beetles moving the dung underground, this prevents a build-up of these pests and parasites. The behaviour of burying dung also cycles nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphates and carbon back into the ground where it acts as a fertiliser for the floral species present. Dung can often contain seeds and parts of roots that are also buried by the dung beetles, this can significantly improve successful dispersal of flora species consumed by herbivores. For these reasons, it has been calculated that dung beetles may currently be saving the UK cattle industry ~£367 million annually. This number has been predicted to increase by as much as ~£40.2 million annually if dung beetles were protected under agri-environment schemes. Dung beetles are also an important food resource for many taxa, including many threatened species. They are affected by avermectins and pesticides used in traditional farming methods.

Dung beetles make excellent indicator species as they inhabit every continent bar Antarctica and exhibit intense inter- and intra-species competition. They also rely heavily on complex factors such as vegetation structure, microclimate and substrate. Their abundance, species richness and ecology also make them an interesting species to investigate in terms of ecological processes. With a standardised monitoring method (yet to be established), this group could become one of the species used to monitor and combat climate change.  Although there is no standardised method, pitfall trapping has become the common method. It is not without its biases and can underestimate species richness, however, it is the most widely used and robust technique for a rapid biodiversity assessment of dung beetles. It is an effective method for the collection of a large number of data specimens necessary for comparing biodiversity between sites. The pitfall trap design constructed was based on the national recording scheme for Scarabaoidea. Their quick response to changes in the climate and environment, and their global distribution, makes them an ideal candidate for this type of monitoring.