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Seasonal Activity of Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) in a Forest in South Western Ghats Thomas Latha

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Seasonal Activity of Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) in a Forest in South Western Ghats Thomas Latha International Journal of Forest, Animal and Fisheries Research (IJFAF) [Vol-3, Issue-2, Mar-Apr, 2019] https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijfaf.3.2.2 ISSN: 2456-8791 Seasonal Activity of Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) in a Forest in South Western Ghats Thomas Latha Dept. of Science, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Belize, Belize [email protected] Abstract— Scarabaeinae dung beetle activity is strongly provides humidity to the soil and triggers the emergence influenced by rainfall seasonality. Rainfall affects the andthe onset of activity in the beetle species (Doube, 1991; quality and quantity of dung available, affects reproductive Halffter, 1991; HanskiandCambefort 1991a, Novaiset al., performance and triggers emergence and activity indung 2016). Dung beetle activity is greatest during moist and beetles. Effects of rainfall seasonality oncommunity minimal during dry periods (Doube,1991; Hanski and attributes of dung beetles such as abundance, species Cambefort,1991a) and abundance of scarab beetles richness and diversity in a forest in South Western Ghats increases strongly after heavy rainfall (Walter, 1985). was studied. Dung beetles were collected using cow dung Majority of dung beetle species that exhibit environmentally baited pitfall traps during the southwest monsoon, northeast induced seasonality are active during favourable periods. monsoon and summer season from the forest habitat. However there are species which avoid competition by Though abundance was highest during the heavy rainy increasing their activity during periods of harsh periods of southwest monsoon season, favoring the two environmental conditions because fewer species are active dominant species Onthophaguspacificus and O. furcillifer, during environmentally unfavourable periods and those that species richness and diversity was higher during the are active, experience much less competition for resources moderate rainy periods of northeast monsoon. The heavy (Montes de Ocaand Halffter, 1995). Seasonal activity is rains ofsouthwest monsoon season may not be favorable to more pronounced in areas with pronounced dryseason some of the species, especially of the roller and dweller (Howden and Young, 1981; Janzen, 1983; Medina and guild as the rains maintain the dung in a fluid state which Lopez, 2014) than in areas without a severe dry season makes dung ball rolling and dwelling a difficult task to (Peck and Forsyth, 1982; Waageand Best, 1985; perform.This was observed by the absence of the roller, BerytenbachandBerytenbach, 1986; HanskiandKrikken, Sisyphus araneolus and dweller Tibiodrepanussetosus 1991). during the southwest monsoon season. Favorable The Western Ghats in the Indian microclimatic conditions and availability of abundant Subcontinent is a 1,600 km long chain of mountains trophic resourceduring the moderate rainy periods of running parallel to India’s western coast. Western Ghats northeast monsoon season in the forest led to the high with its exceptionally high level of biological diversity and species richness and diversity in that season. endemism is one among the 34 biodiversity hotspots of the Keywords— Scarabaeinae, dung beetles, South Western world. The mountain range has profound influence on the Ghats, forest, rainfall seasonality. rainfall pattern of peninsular India (Nair, 2006). The Western Ghats strongly influences the rainfall pattern of I. INTRODUCTION Kerala state in the Indian subcontinent. The Kerala state is a Seasonal activity in Scarabaeinaedung beetles is strip of land running almost in North–South direction and is determined by factors like temperature, rainfall, resource situated between the Arabian Sea on the West and the availability and life history strategies (Doube, 1991; ranges of Western Ghats and NilgiriHills on the East both Hanskiand Cambefort, 1991a; Lumaretand Kirk, 1991). running parallel to each other. According to Koppen’s Dung beetle activity is strongly influenced by rainfall climatic classification, Kerala’s climate is tropical monsoon seasonality (Medina and Lopes, 2014). Rainfall determines in most part of the state and tropicalsavanna in the southern the quality and quantity of dung,which is the primary source most part. The state normally experiences excessive of food for most dung beetles (Cambefort,1991);affects the seasonal rainfall, with hot summers. Thethree main seasons reproductive performance of dung beetles (Edwards , 1991); of the state are the hot season(March–May), southwest www.aipublications.com/ijfaf Page | 58 International Journal of Forest, Animal and Fisheries Research (IJFAF) [Vol-3, Issue-2, Mar-Apr, 2019] https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijfaf.3.2.2 ISSN: 2456-8791 monsoon season (June–September), and northeast monsoon and 18:00-6:00h) for each collection effort. Collected season (October–February) (Nathan, 2000). The potential beetles were preserved in 70% alcohol overnight and later rainy season for Kerala is the southwestmonsoon period, identified to species levels using taxonomic keys and by which contributes 67.9%to the annual rainfall, the post- verifying with type specimens available in the Coleoptera monsoon and winter rainfall (October–February) collections of St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Calicut. contributes 18.1% to the annual rainfall and pre-monsoon 2.3 Analysis (March–May) contributes 14.0% to the annual rainfall Since the data was not normally distributed,non-parametric (Krishnakumaret al., 2008). statistics Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test the significant Very little studies exists on the effects of rainfall levels of variation in overall abundance of beetles, Shannon seasonality on dung beetle community attributes in the diversity (H’) and abundance of individual species of dung forest ecosystems of South Western Ghats.In the present beetles with seasons.Differences with a p-value <0.05 was study the effects of rainfall seasonality on dung beetle compared using Mann-Whitney Test. The beetles were community attributes such as abundance, species richness , classified as seasonal beetles if they showed significant and diversity was studiedin a forest ecosystem in South difference in abundance with seasons, and aseasonalif they Western Ghats.We hypothesize that the species richness, did not show significant variation in abundance with abundance and diversity of dung beetles will vary with seasons. Singletons were considered as rare and excluded rainfall seasonality and that wet seasons will harbor more from seasonality studies. species, abundance and diversity than dry season. Such studies are important as it helps us to understand how III. RESULTS changing rainfall seasonality over a region can affect A total of 259 beetles belonging to 17 species were community attributes of beneficial insects such as dung collected during the northeast monsoon season, ten species beetles. and 94 beetles in summer and ten species and 269 beetles in southwest monsoon season from the forest habitat in II. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nelliampathi (Fig. 2, 3; Table 1). Overall abundance of 2.1 Study site dung beetles varied significantly with seasons (H= 25.531, The study was carried out in Kaikattyin df=2, p=<0.001).Pair wise comparisons of abundance Nelliampathi, located at 100 31’N and 760 40’E, at an between seasons showed significant variation in abundance elevation of 960 msl in the South Western Ghats (Fig. 1). between southwest monsoon and summer (p=<0.001), The temperature of the region varies between 150C-300C between northeast monsoon and summer (p=<0.001) but not and annual rainfall exceeds 3000 mm (Nair, 1991). The between southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon vegetation in the study site is characterized by West Coast (p=0.480).Shannondiversity (H’) in northeast monsoon Semi-Evergreen forest (Champion and Seth, season was 1.87, summer was 1.47 andsouthwest monsoon 1968).Evergreen undergrowth is rather copious and season was 1.80 (Fig. 4).Shannon diversity (H’) did not climbers tend to be very heavy. Epiphytes are abundant, vary significantly with seasons (H=2.604, df=2, p=0.272). including many ferns and orchids. About 40% to 80% of Of the 21 species collected from forest, nine species were trees are evergreen(Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, seasonal, five species were aseasonal and seasonality in 2004).Three seasons characterizes the region,hot season seven species could not be determined due to rarity in referred to as summer (March–May), a period of heavy collection (Table 1).Seasonal species showed peak in rainfall called the southwest monsoon season (June– abundance during different September), and a period of moderate rainfall called the seasons.TunnelersOnthophaguspacificus in northeast and northeast monsoon season(October–February). southwest monsoon; Onthophagusbronzeus, O. laevis, O. 2.2 Sampling manipurensis and Paracopriscribratus in southwest Dung beetles were collected using dung baited monsoon; Onthophagusandrewesi, O. vladimiriand O. pitfall traps of the bait-surface-grid type (Lobo et al., 1988; turbatusinnortheast monsoon and roller Sisyphus araneolus Veigaet al., 1989). Beetles were collected on a seasonal in northeast monsoonseason (Fig.5; Table 1). basis in May (summer season), September (southwest monsoon season) and December (northeast monsoonseason) IV. DISCUSSION during the 2007-2008 study period.Each collection effort Significant seasonal effect on abundance was involved placing ten baited pitfall traps containing 200g noticed in dung beetle population in the forest of South cow dung as bait, placed 50 m apart in the forest
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