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.蜣螂是重要的生物多样性指示物种，同时作为食碎屑动物在诸多生态系统中扮演不可或缺的关键角色，可清除景观范围内的大量粪便堆积物。然而，目前学界对蜣螂多样性的认知仍较为匮乏，在南非地区这一研究缺口尤为突出。作为评估克鲁格国家公园（Kruger National Park）蜣螂多样性的持续研究工作的一部分，本研究采用陷捕诱集法，对普达玛利亚营地周边的蜣螂多样性展开调查。本研究重点关注两类差异：一是玄武岩与花岗岩母质土壤区域内的蜣螂类群组合差异，二是夜间与昼间采样时段的蜣螂类群差异。正如预期结果，富营养的玄武岩区域所获取的蜣螂生物量显著高于花岗岩母质土壤区域；同时夜间采样诱集到的蜣螂生物量也高于昼间采样。