Data from: Tropical dung beetle morphological traits predict functional traits and show intra-specific differences across land uses

1. Functional traits and functional diversity measures are increasingly
being used to examine land use effects on biodiversity and community
assembly rules. 2. Morphological traits are frequently derived from a mean
value of many individuals, and used directly as functional traits.
However, this approach overlooks the importance of intraspecific
differences. 3. We collected morphometric data from over 1700 individuals
of 12 species of dung beetle to establish whether morphological
measurements can be used as predictors of behavioral traits. We also
compared morphology among individuals collected from different land uses
to identify if intra-specific differences in morphology vary among land
use types. 4. We show that leg and eye measurements can be used to predict
dung beetle nesting behavior and period of activity, and used this
information to confirm the previously unresolved nesting behavior for
Synapsis ritsemae. 5. We found intra-specific differences in morphological
traits across different land use types. Phenotypic plasticity was found
for traits associated with dispersal (wing aspect ratio and wing loading)
and reproductive capacity (abdomen size). 6. The ability to predict
behavioral functional traits from morphology is useful where the behavior
of dung beetles cannot be directly observed, especially in tropical
environments where the ecology of many species is poorly understood. 7.
There have been very few studies investigating variability in animal
traits. We provide evidence that land use change can cause phenotypic
plasticity in tropical dung beetle species. Our results reinforce recent
calls for intraspecific variation in traits to receive more attention
within community ecology.