Effects of soil physical properties on dung beetle assemblages in pasture landscapes of the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract Soil factors have important implications for the establishment of species that dwell on and underneath them. Dung beetles' biological cycle is highly dependent on soil, and their nesting and feeding activities positively affect soil chemical and physical properties. We assessed the effect of the type of soil texture (loamy sand and sandy loam) and its physical properties (the amount of sand, silt and clay), compaction and soil moisture on dung beetle species assemblages (species richness, abundance, functional groups and species composition) in a pastureland region of Brazilian Cerrado. Our findings demonstrate that although the species richness was not affected by the type of soil texture and its properties, there was a consistent shift in species composition between loamy sand and sandy loam soils. We also found a reduction of the total and paracoprid beetle abundances in loamy sand soil. Furthermore, soil compaction was the main driver of dung beetle species composition in pasturelands, where the increase of soil compaction negatively affected the entire dung beetle assemblage and paracoprids' abundances. These results indicate that dung beetles are sensitive to changes in soil compaction, and that type of soil texture may play an essential role as a segregation mechanism for distribution of species in pastureland ecosystems. Finally, understanding how ecological communities respond to shifts in soil type texture and its properties, can assist cattle farmers in making soil management decisions aiming to conserve dung beetles and their ecological functions in tropical pasturelands.