Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Gotcha, Nonofo, Machekano, Honest, Cuthbert, Ross N. and Nyamukondiwa, Casper (2021) Heat tolerance may determine activity time in coprophagic beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Insect Science, 28 (4). pp. 1076-1086. DOI 10.1111/1744-7917.12844.

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Abstract

Although reports have documented loss of species diversity and ecological services caused by stressful temperature changes that result from climate change, some species cope through behavioural compensation. As temperatures and magnitudes of temperature extremes increase, animals should compensate to maintain fitness (such as through temporary behavioural shifts in activity times). Appropriate timing of activity helps avoid competition across species. Although coprophagic dung beetles exhibit species‐specific temporal activity times, it is unknown whether temperature drives evolution of these species‐specific temporal activity times. Using nine dung beetle species (three each of diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal species), we explored differences in heat stress tolerance measured as critical thermal maxima (CTmax; the highest temperature allowing activity) and heat knockdown time (HKDT; survival time under acute heat stress) across these species, and examined the results using a phylogenetically informed approach. Our results showed that day‐active species had significantly higher CTmax (diurnal > crepuscular = nocturnal species), whereas crepuscular species had higher HKDT (crepuscular > nocturnal > diurnal species). There was no correlation between heat tolerance and body size across species with distinct temporal activity, and no significant phylogenetic constraint for activity. Species with higher CTmax did not necessarily have higher HKDT, which indicates that species may respond differently to diverse heat tolerance metrics. Acute heat tolerance for diurnal beetles indicates that this trait may constrain activity time and, under high acute temperatures with climate change, species may shift activity times in more benign environments. These results help elucidate the evolution of foraging behaviour and management of coprophagic beetle ecosystem services under changing environments.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: biodiversity; climate change; dung beetle; ecosystem services; thermal tolerance
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB3 Marine Ecology > FB3-EOE-B Experimental Ecology - Benthic Ecology
Main POF Topic: PT6: Marine Life
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: Wiley
Date Deposited: 23 Jun 2020 09:05
Last Modified: 07 Feb 2024 15:47
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/49946

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