Modeling the distribution of coprophagous beetle species in the Western Swiss Alps

By

Cosandey, Vivien
Broennimann, Olivier
Guisan, Antoine

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-7-6

Original Publication

Metabarcoding and metagenomics

Volume

6

Pages

25--38

Subjects

dung beetles , Ensemble of Small Models (ESMs) , Geotrupidae , Hydrophilidae , Scarabaeidae , species distribution modeling (SDM)

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.6.83730

 

Abstract

Coprophagous beetles are essential for fecal matter removal and are thus considered key ecosystem services providers. Yet, our knowledge of these beetles’ distribution and ecology remains very limited. Here, we used Species Distribution Models (SDM) to investigate the species-environment relationships (i.e. their niche) and predict the geographic distribution of coprophagous beetles in the Western Swiss Alps. We used our own sampled data and existing national data from the Swiss faunal database to calibrate, for each species, a regional and a national SDM respectively. In both models, the best predictors were temperature and rock cover proportion, while a soil characteristic (∂13C) indicating its organic content and texture was important in the regional models and precipitations in the Swiss models. The model performed better for species specialized on low or high altitudes than for generalist species occurring in a large altitudinal range. The model performances were neither influenced by the size, nor by the nesting behavior (laying eggs inside or below the excrements) of the species. We also showed that species richness decreased with altitude. This study opens new perspective for a better knowledge of coprophagous beetle’s ecology and a useful tool for their conservation in mountain regions.