The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow
Changes in precipitation patterns, including rainfall intensity and rainfall timing, have been extensively demonstrated to impact biological processes and associated ecosystem functions. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of rainfall intensity and rainfall timing on the assembly of...
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| author | Wenxiao Sun Wenting Tang Yashi Wu Shuaibing He Xinwei Wu |
| author_facet | Wenxiao Sun Wenting Tang Yashi Wu Shuaibing He Xinwei Wu |
| author_sort | Wenxiao Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Changes in precipitation patterns, including rainfall intensity and rainfall timing, have been extensively demonstrated to impact biological processes and associated ecosystem functions. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of rainfall intensity and rainfall timing on the assembly of detritivore communities and the decomposition rate of detritus such as animal dung. In a grazed alpine meadow on the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we conducted a manipulative experiment involving two levels of rainfall intensity (heavy rainfall, 1000 mL/5 min; light rainfall, 100 mL/5 min) and five levels of rainfall timing (0, 2, 4, 24, and 48 h after yak dung deposition). The aim was to determine the effects of rainfall intensity, timing, and their interaction on the assemblage of dung beetles and dung removal rate during the early stage (i.e., 96 h after yak dung deposition) of dung decomposition. Light rainfall significantly increased species richness in the treatment of 48 h after dung pats were deposited. Heavy rainfall significantly decreased beetle abundance in both the 0 h and 48 h treatments while light rainfall had no effect on beetle abundance. Dung mass loss was significant lower in the 2 h treatment compared to other treatments regardless of rainfall intensity. The structural equation model further revealed that the species richness of dung beetles and dung mass loss were significantly affected by rainfall timing but not by rainfall intensity. However, no significant relationships were observed between any variables examined. These findings suggest that changes in precipitation patterns can influence both the structure of dung beetles and the rate of dung decomposition but may also decouple their relationship under a certain circumstance. Therefore, it is crucial to pay greater attention to fully understand local variability between the biological processes and ecosystem functions within a global climate change scenario. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:59:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
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| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-eaacef3c407e4ad7bb56e343d96b02a72023-12-22T13:54:26ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372023-12-011212149610.3390/biology12121496The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine MeadowWenxiao Sun0Wenting Tang1Yashi Wu2Shuaibing He3Xinwei Wu4Department of Ecology, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaDepartment of Ecology, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaDepartment of Ecology, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaDepartment of Ecology, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaDepartment of Ecology, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaChanges in precipitation patterns, including rainfall intensity and rainfall timing, have been extensively demonstrated to impact biological processes and associated ecosystem functions. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of rainfall intensity and rainfall timing on the assembly of detritivore communities and the decomposition rate of detritus such as animal dung. In a grazed alpine meadow on the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we conducted a manipulative experiment involving two levels of rainfall intensity (heavy rainfall, 1000 mL/5 min; light rainfall, 100 mL/5 min) and five levels of rainfall timing (0, 2, 4, 24, and 48 h after yak dung deposition). The aim was to determine the effects of rainfall intensity, timing, and their interaction on the assemblage of dung beetles and dung removal rate during the early stage (i.e., 96 h after yak dung deposition) of dung decomposition. Light rainfall significantly increased species richness in the treatment of 48 h after dung pats were deposited. Heavy rainfall significantly decreased beetle abundance in both the 0 h and 48 h treatments while light rainfall had no effect on beetle abundance. Dung mass loss was significant lower in the 2 h treatment compared to other treatments regardless of rainfall intensity. The structural equation model further revealed that the species richness of dung beetles and dung mass loss were significantly affected by rainfall timing but not by rainfall intensity. However, no significant relationships were observed between any variables examined. These findings suggest that changes in precipitation patterns can influence both the structure of dung beetles and the rate of dung decomposition but may also decouple their relationship under a certain circumstance. Therefore, it is crucial to pay greater attention to fully understand local variability between the biological processes and ecosystem functions within a global climate change scenario.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/12/1496climate changedetritusdetritivoredung decompositionQinghai–Tibet Plateaurainfall pattern |
| spellingShingle | Wenxiao Sun Wenting Tang Yashi Wu Shuaibing He Xinwei Wu The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow Biology climate change detritus detritivore dung decomposition Qinghai–Tibet Plateau rainfall pattern |
| title | The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow |
| title_full | The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow |
| title_fullStr | The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow |
| title_short | The Influences of Rainfall Intensity and Timing on the Assemblage of Dung Beetles and the Rate of Dung Removal in an Alpine Meadow |
| title_sort | influences of rainfall intensity and timing on the assemblage of dung beetles and the rate of dung removal in an alpine meadow |
| topic | climate change detritus detritivore dung decomposition Qinghai–Tibet Plateau rainfall pattern |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/12/1496 |
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