Improving the design and management of forest strips in human-dominated tropical landscapes: a field test on Amazonian dung beetles

摘要: Summary 1. The future of tropical forest species depends in part on their ability to survive human-modified landscapes. Forest strips present a priority area for biodiversity research because they are common feature many managed landscapes, often afforded high level legal protection, and can provide cost-effective politically acceptable conservation strategy. 2. Despite the potential benefits that could be provided by strips, ecologists currently lack sufficient evidence inform policy guide design management. 3. We used quasi-experimental landscape Brazilian Amazon test importance four management-relevant variables (forest type, isolation distance, structure, large mammal activity) value narrow dung beetles. 4. Information-theoretic model selection based AICc revealed strong support influence activity type beetle abundance; distance richness; structure relative abundance matrix-tolerant species. Multi-dimensional scaling showed community composition with riparian dry-land having complementary sets 5. Synthesis applications. To enhance ecological integrity landscapes we recommend strip considers both whether or not encompass perennial streams. In addition, identify maintenance protection populations as being crucially important conserving communities.