Abstract
Abstract In order to evaluate the impact of oil palm cultivation on dung beetles in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, comparisons were made of communities in oil palm plantations and native forest. Pitfall traps baited with human feces were buried to soil level in plantations and surrounding forests. Fifty traps were used in each type of vegetation, placed at 50 m intervals along five transects. Dung beetle communities in oil palm plantations have lower species richness (18 spp.) than in surrounding tropical rainforest (48 spp.), as well as altered species composition. Total abundance of individuals was not significantly different between the two habitats, but species composition was greatly different. Species evenness was greater in the forest. Forest corridors for the preservation of dung beetle species may need to be much wider than current designs. The erosion of biodiversity in dung beetles due to oil palm monoculture parallels what has been seen in other animal taxa in tropical tree plantations.
Highlights
African oil palm (Elaeis sp.) is a major and rapidly expanding crop, responsible for high levels of deforestation and species loss in south east Asia (e.g. Fitzherbert et al, 2008)
In order to evaluate the impact of oil palm plantations on one target group, the dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), comparisons were made of communities in oil palm plantations and in surrounding intact forests
We examine the value of palm oil plantations for Amazonian dung beetle communities in a large plantation in the state of Pará
Summary
African oil palm (Elaeis sp.) is a major and rapidly expanding crop, responsible for high levels of deforestation and species loss in south east Asia (e.g. Fitzherbert et al, 2008). Dung beetles have been recommended for studies of biological conservation, especially as a proxy for hard to detect mammals (Spector, 2006; Barlow et al, 2007; Gardner et al., 2007, 2008a; Nichols and Gardner, 2011; Bicknell et al, 2014) They are a bio-indicator of soils and microclimate (Halffter and Favila, 1993; Nichols et al, 2007), and influence important ecosystem functions and services such as secondary seed dispersal, nutrient recycling, soil aeration, and biological control of pest insects and helminth parasites (Halffter and Matthews, 1966; Nichols et al, 2008; Ridsdill-Smith and Edwards, 2011). The different microclimate and food supply conditions found between the Amazon rainforest and palm plantations may restrict the maintenance of stable populations in the latter areas
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
