Short term response of dung beetle communities to disturbance by road construction in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

摘要: In the tropics, human disturbance continuously challenges initiatives for habitat conservation. these regions, as economical budgets conservation shrink, planning requires precise information on when and how different kinds of may affect natural populations, but also adequate experimental designs to monitor them. Due their high diversity, ecological role, stable taxonomy facilities sample, dung beetles are used in biodiversity surveys purposes worldwide. Here we studied short-term effects beetle communities an important widespread due road construction Amazon basin. We surveyed dung-beetle community a spatio-temporal context, i.e. transects located at 10, 50 100-m from newly constructed, 10-m wide, paved road. The sampling periods took place 1, 3 6 months after construction. During survey, collected 4895 specimens that belong 69 species 19 genera. Six (Canthon aequinoctialis, C. luteicolis, Dichotomius fortestriatus, Eurysternus caribaeus, E. confusus Onthophagus haematopus) accounted 55% all individuals collected. Both diversity abundance tended decrease during opening road, not with distance Accordingly, NMDS analysis revealed clear differences composition biomass among three periods, respect transect location. However, number rare increase toward forest interior. A detailed 5 (Sylvicanthon bridarollii, Canthidium sp. 2, 6, 7 Ontherus diabolicus) were more abundant getting further On contrary (Eurysternus hamaticollis, velutinus, confusus, Deltochilum oberbengeri D. orbiculare) increased next Our study therefore confi rmed while overall metrics did respond construction, several did, within incredibly rapid time frame. While pattern based descriptions responses anthropogenic activities common literature, our fi ndings suggest effect roads is certainly under emphasized.