Changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles along a forest disturbance gradient in tropical karst ecosystems on islands of Vietnam. Issue 4 (22nd March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bui, Van Bac; Tran, Dung Van; Bui, The Doi; Le, Bao Thanh; Bai, Ming
• Is Part Of: Ecological research. Volume 37:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 544
• Page End: 553
• Publication Date: 2022-03-22
• Subjects: Cat Ba National Park -- community traits -- plantations -- primary and secondary forests -- taxonomic diversity; Ecology -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Japan -- Periodicals; Écologie; Japon; Ecology; Japan; Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12308
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0912-3814

Abstract

Abstract: Tropical karst ecosystems are an exceptionally unique and important landscape element of South East (SE) Asia. Unfortunately, these ecosystems have been increasingly disturbed due to forest conversions to anthropogenic land uses, illegal logging, and limestone quarrying. Karst regions have a high degree of endemic species, so their loss is likely to have negative consequences for species conservation as well as ecological processes. We investigated dung‐beetle communities from primary forests (PF), old secondary forests (>15 years since abandonment, OSF), young secondary forests (<10 years since abandonment, YSF), and Acacia plantations (<10 years old, AP) of karst ecosystems on Cat Ba Island (northern Vietnam). Our main aim was to provide a thorough and quantitative assessment of the taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles in the examined forests, and subsequently to determine the value of specific types of disturbed forests for biodiversity conservation. In total, 1458 dung beetles of 34 taxa were recorded. Community composition varied significantly among the forest types and was broadly separated into two groups: old‐growth forests (i.e., PF and OSF) and young‐growth forests (i.e., YSF and AP). While YSF and AP hosted severely impoverished dung‐beetle communities, OSF with a high forest canopy cover and high ground vegetation cover harbored species‐rich dung‐beetle communities similar to those found in PF. However, functional diversity significantly differed between PF and OSF. The data also revealed that community responses were due to changing patterns of trait compositions rather than species richness. Abstract : Changes in the taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles along the gradient of forest disturbances of tropical island karst ecosystems have been clearly described for the first time. Functional traits more than taxonomic compositions are contributed for the dung‐beetle responses. Secondary and plantation forests contained smaller populations of most primary‐forest dung‐beetle species and tended to lack larger‐bodied species. This leads to a reduction in the ecosystem service of dung‐beetle communities outside primary forests, such as dung removal and seed dispersal.