Diversidade funcional da comunidade de besouros escarabeíneos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) na Estação Ecológica do Tapacurá, Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

The attractiveness of scarabeine beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) for different types of resources means that they can be divided into guilds related to behavior (resource allocation, diet and period of activity) and morphological variations (size, shape and biomass ). Different combinations of these characteristics confer different competitive capabilities between species, which can reduce direct competition and allow the coexistence of different species. The impoverishment of dung beetle communities implies a disruption in the important ecological services they offer. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the functional diversity of the dung beetle community at the Estação Ecológica do Tapacurá, PE. Specifically, identify the functional groups present in the community according to functional traits: biomass, food preference and resource allocation. For this, two collections were carried out in 2023, one in February (dry season) and another in March (rainy season), at ten points, distributed to form a transect, with a minimum distance between points of 100m. At each point, a set of two pitfall traps were installed, baited with human feces and rotted bovine spleen and exposed for 48 hours/collection. A total of 940 beetles were collected, 763 from meat baits (352 in the dry season and 411 in the rainy season) and 177 in the feces baits (90 in the dry season and 87 in the rainy season). 19 species were identified, belonging to eight genera: Anomiopus, Ateuchus, Canthidium, Canthon, Coprophanaeus, Deltochilum, Dichotomius and Eurysternus. Beetles were classified into functional groups based on size according to biomass (large and small), resource allocation and food preference. The study showed that the community is mainly composed of small beetles, paracoprids or telecoprids, generalists or scavengers, while endocoprids and coprophages were represented by a single species each. The lower number of beetles in the feces bait suggests a low abundance of mammals in the region, its main source of resources. Highlighting the functional diversity present among dung beetles in the region and the importance of continuing to monitor these communities to understand their role in ecosystems.