Vanegas-Alarcón, D.A.1
[0000-0002-4394-1711]
González Tokman, D.1
[0000-0001-7251-5773]
López Ortiz, S.2
[0000-0002-5202-3365]
Arellano Gámez, L.1
[0000-0001-6364-2447]
- Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz
- Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz
Abstract
Introduction. The burning regime in pastures plays a fundamental role in maintaining biological diversity (Parr et al., 2014); however, this regime can negatively affect the diversity and functions of insects (Arellano and Castillo-Guevara, 2014). Objective. To analyze how burning regimes affect species diversity, functional groups, and dung removal by dung beetles in grazing environments in a dry forest landscape. Methods. Nine pitfall traps and four experimental units were arranged in 15 ranches managed with a burning regime (null, low, and high) and located in different grazing environments (monocultures of grasses, biodiverse pastures, and secondary vegetation). Results and discussion. The burning regime did not influence abundance, species richness, diversity, or dung removal by dung beetles. The species composition of dung beetles was influenced by the burning regime, with dung beetle assemblages differing in ranches with low or high burning regimes. Functionally, a negative effect of burning was observed in tunnellers and necrophages. Other functional groups did not show influence from the burning regime, remaining stable. This pattern could be due to changes in food availability, as well as species replacement in nearby sites. Conclusion. Changes in composition and functional groups influence the stability of dung beetle diversity, which could play a key role in the resilience of the grazing environments studied. It is essential to highlight that the timing of fire management in ranches and the adaptations of dung beetles are key factors for their survival in grazing environments affected by fire, such as silvopastoral systems.