Differences in dung beetle diversity on granite and basalt-derived soils and between periods of diel activity in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Dung beetles are important biodiversity indicators and also play integral roles as detritivores in
many ecosystems by removing large amounts of dung from the landscape. However, relatively little
is known about dung beetle diversity, especially in South Africa. As part of an ongoing effort to
assess dung beetle diversity in Kruger National Park, we used pitfall traps to examine dung beetle
diversity near Punda Maria rest camp. Our study focused on differences between dung beetle
assemblages in areas with basalt and granite-derived soils and between nocturnal and diurnal
sampling periods. As expected, the nutrient-rich basalts yielded a higher biomass of beetles than the
granites, and nocturnal sampling also caught a greater biomass of beetles than diurnal sampling.