These insects have evolved to rely on an animal waste product that is in plentiful supply and in return they play a major part in the decomposition process; without them we would all be knee deep in it! Turn over a fresh dung pile and there should be hundreds of dung beetles and other insects present.
Dung beetles can break down large quantities of faecal matter by eating and nesting in it, some species tunnelling it into the ground to use as food and insulation for eggs. These actions increase organic matter in the soil, improving its ability to retain water and increasing nutrient availability to plants as well as aerating the land - beneficial for both root structures and other organisms. Importantly this activity is also thought to break the parasite life cycle by removing the dung medium that acts as the incubator for the parasite eggs.
This prevents the worm eggs hatching into motile larvae which would otherwise wriggle away from the dung and climb the grass stalks to re-infect the grazing horses. Fungi, bacteria and weathering play a part in dung decomposition but a suite of invertebrates including flies, worms and beetles play a major role. Dung beetles are one of the key players and are often grouped according to their breeding behaviour.
The rollers telecoprids are typically what people think of - a beetle pushing a neat ball across the African savannah. These do not occur in the UK but the two other groups do. Dwellers endocoprids eat, live and breed directly in the dung or just under the soil surface and form the majority of British species. The tunnelers paracoprids , dig a burrow under the pile and drag the dung down to a metre or more to provision a breeding chamber, where the larvae develop. By burying dung, the beetles improve soil condition through nutrient recycling and the redistribution of associated fungi and bacteria.
As the beetles dig, the soil is turned over see below , aerating it, and this in turn helps rainfall infiltration too. Soil and burrow hole from a tunnelling dung beetle. Credit: Ceri M Mann. Dung burial also encourages earthworms to aggregate under dung pads 3, enhancing decomposition further. If on the other hand, the dung beetle population is depleted, pasture fouling can be a major problem.
Dung lies on the sward, underneath the grass dies and a grazing avoidance zone surrounds it see below. Dung often remains on the surface for a several months, reducing pasture productivity all the while. Area of dead grass underneath a dung pat. Credit: Darren J Mann. Dung beetles also help tackle gastrointestinal parasites and nuisance flies. Parasite eggs are excreted from an infected host in the dung.
The eggs hatch, larvae develop until the third instar then migrate into the surrounding pasture. A grazing animal ingests the larvae, completing the lifecycle. By removing dung and drying out the pat, dung beetles reduce the availability and suitability of the larval habitat, breaking the lifecycle 4.
Nuisance flies are also reduced in this way but are additionally targeted by an army of predatory mites that feed on fly eggs and maggots. At around 1mm, the mites are rather small and traversing a field is a challenge. Dung Beetles Dung beetles are a group of beetles whose existence is completely dependent on animal dung. Lane and Mann [1]. Types of dung beetles Dung beetles are an incredibly diverse group of invertebrates, which be categorised into four ecologically distinct groups: dwellers Endocoprids , tunnellers Paracoprids , stealers Kleptocoprids and rollers Telecoprids.
Dung pats Dung of a good consistency provides a good home for dung beetles, which requires cows to have good fibre in their diet. See what else you find in dung pats. References Lane, S. A review of the status of the beetles of Great Britain: The stag beetles, dor beetles, dung beetles, chafers and their allies-Lucanidae, Geotrupidae, Trogidae and Scarabaeidae , Natural England. We use cookies to improve your experience. Browsing this website you agree to our use of cookies.
When the research stages are complete, we plan to supply native dung beetles to farmers and horse owners to replenish their native populations. We aim to educate farmers, horse owners and vets about the importance of British dung beetles and how to look after them on their land.
Did you know we have over 50 species of dung beetle here in the UK?
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