Roles of environmental variables and land usage as drivers of dung beetle assemblage structure in mopane woodland

摘要: Colophospermum mopane woodland covers large areas of dry lowland savanna in southeastern Africa. Dominant land usage is conservation (45%) with the remainder mostly modified by farming. Dung beetle responses to environment (dung type, habitat, weather) and (conservation, farming, mining) were examined at Phalaborwa (23.9431°S 31.1411°E) Phalaborwa-Timbavati Mopaneveld, South Partitioning gamma species richness diversity showed lower alpha values mine than farm conserved areas. However, between-land differences richness, diversity, abundance biomass, significance those between dung type different weather. At two sampling scales, three multivariate techniques variously separated assemblages according usage, Analysis 21 mean samples clusters (Canonical Correspondence Analysis, CCA) or assemblages, plus on pig elephant, cattle (NMDS, Factor Analysis) shared variance >80% unique 16–18% per cluster. In analysis 188 (CCA), each overlapping cluster was offset ordinal space congruent patterns separation weather (drier days distant from moister days; early succession areas, which disturbed later areas). Mining, types, moist conditions strongest contributors between-assemblage differences. Compared appreciably altered mining but only slightly intensive game farming livestock ranching subsistence agriculture.