Insect-dung Interactions

Question 1

Coprophagy insect taxa

Answer 1

Coleoptera
-Scarabaeidae
-Hydrophilidae
Diptera
-Muscidae

Question 2

Challenges of copraphagy

Answer 2

Dung randomly deposited
-hard to find regularly
Desiccation
-utilize before dung dries

Question 3

Dung utilization methods

Answer 3

Endocoprids - egg inside dung pad
Paracoprids - tunnel underneath Pad and bury on site
Telecoprids - dung rolled away from food source
- brood balls (formed by fertilized females)
- food balls (males and females)
Kleptocoprids

Question 4

Dung beetle life cycle

Answer 4

Holometabolous

Question 5

Feeding of dung beetles

Answer 5

Poorly understood
Food resource cannot be quantified
Highly specialized mouth parts
Don’t masticate

Question 6

Importance of d beetles

Answer 6

Supporting service - improved soil fertility
Regulating service - bioturbation = no floods and disease regulation (no breeding media for pests)
Provisioning service - bury cow dung = healthy meat
Cultural service - aesthetic, spiritual and educational
Secondary seed dispersal
Pollination - Aracaea
Sanitation (human endoparasites)

Question 7

Beetle diversity importance

Answer 7

Uniform dung dispersal

Dependable activity through the year