Diversity of coleopterans associated with cattle dung in open pastures and silvopastoral systems in the brazilian amazon

Abstract

Among the primary beef producers globally, Brazil stands out due to livestock production based on pastures without massive grain dependence. Moreover, the adoption of integrated systems has increased in Brazilian farms in the past few years, reaching significant numbers such as 11.5 million hectares covered by some sort of integration, including silvopastoral systems (SPS). This study aimed to evaluate the diversity of Coleoptera species and dung pats decomposition in an open pasture (OP) of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu and in an SPS with Eucalyptus urograndis clone H13. There were no significant differences in dung beetle richness or abundance in OP and SPS, as well as similar rates of dung pats disintegration. Most insects were captured during the rainy season, and richness and diversity of species were similar between systems. The traps' distance to the Eucalyptus rows did not influence the number of dung beetles sampled; however, fewer individuals were captured under the tree rows. We suggest the importance of beetles for cattle dung decomposition and biological control of parasites, eventhough community structure was similar between systems with different habitat complexity.