Dung Removal and Tunneling Contributions: Ecomorphological Traits and Functional Performance of <i>Onthophagus gazella</i> and <i>Onthophagus ramosellus</i>

Dung beetles perform various functions in ecosystems, such as nutrient cycling, aeration of soil, and dung burial activities that increase soil properties. Genus Onthophagus is well known for its role in dung removal and decomposition. We appraised the role of Onthophagus ramosellus and Onthophagus gazella in dung removal under field conditions. Species-specific functional features like body size and dry body weight associate these dung beetle species with tunneling depth and dung removal. We installed mesocosms (18 cm height and 12 cm diameter) at three sites in district Gujrat, i.e., Chak, Chopala, and Kot Mir Hussain. Treatment groups used in the trials included: (i) T1: O. gazella (one pair), (ii) T2: O. ramosellus (three pairs), (iii) T3: O. gazella (one pair) + O. ramosellus (three pairs), and (iv) T0: dung-only control. The data were collected from experimental units after 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Dung removal was determined gravimetrically by measuring the initial and final dry weights of dung pats and correcting for moisture loss using controls. O. gazella had greater body length (11.58 ± 0.08 mm), width (6.10 ± 0.07 mm), and dry weight (37.65 ± 0.22 mg) than O. ramosellus (p <0.001). O. gazella excavated deeper tunnels and removed significantly larger quantities of dung. Although the three-way interaction was not significant, the treatment × duration interaction was significant. In T3, O. gazella (one pair) + O. ramosellus (three pairs) demonstrated lower dung removal. Overall, O. gazella showed stronger morphometric traits, deeper tunneling, and greater dung removal.