Anthropogenic disturbance may promote the invasion of forest landscape by an open-habitat specialist introduced dung beetle species in Brazil

Abstract

Digitonthophagus gazella, a dung beetle species introduced into many countries as a biological control agent for cattle dung removal, is adapted to open pastures and avoid shaded areas such as forests. With a short development period, high fecundity, and long dispersion capability, D. gazella is an effective competitor that is considered an invasive species in many countries. Until recently, only one study evaluated its possible presence in a small forest area, suggesting an invasion process might be occurring. We report here the presence of D. gazella in five distinct forest landscapes (FLs): a regenerating native forest, a reforested native forest, and three forests with exotic plant species. The FLs are embedded in an area with several other FLs, which is surrounded by a river and a pasture. However, cattle have access to these FLs. We found that the anthropogenic disturbances may be facilitating the species dispersal to shaded habitats as there was a higher abundance of D. gazella in areas where cattle were more active. The possibility of this species in invading FLs is worrisome because it has been shown that D. gazella can cause significant negative impacts to the native dung beetle community, which is of great ecological importance for the ecosystem.