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

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. We developed one dataset containing
the physical soil properties (clay, silt, and sand content, soil texture
classification, soil compaction, and soil moisture) and assemblage metrics
of dung beetles (total richness and abundance, and abundance and richness
of paracoprids, telecoprids, and endocoprids) sampled in 15 transects in
introduced pastures in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. We report
that species richness was not affected by the type of soil texture and its
properties; however, 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.