Dung beetles reveal livestock grazing pressure in the Hyrcanian forests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23303039Keywords:
Beech, forest ecosystem, grazing management, habitat disturbance, hornbeam, GLMAbstract
This study investigated how livestock grazing affects the dung beetle Sisyphus schaefferi boschniaki in Iran's Hyrcanian forests. Using pitfall traps from June to August 2023 across 24 sites, researchers found all 5,351 beetles exclusively in unprotected areas. Livestock were recorded at all unprotected sites, while the species was entirely absent from protected sites. Results showed that higher livestock abundance strongly increased beetle numbers—a one standard deviation increase in livestock raised beetle abundance by 52.3%. Beetle abundance also rose 37% over the 22.5-day sampling period and was higher in hornbeam stands than in beech forests, likely due to greater livestock activity there. The complete absence of beetles from protected areas suggests that these dung beetles depend on dung inputs from grazing livestock, indicating that restricting livestock access may inadvertently eliminate this species from protected forests, though other unmeasured factors may also contribute.
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