Dung beetles remove feces from wild animals in forests, thereby inhibiting the spread of parasites. They incorporate the dung into the soil, providing nutrients to plants and perform this ecosystem service in both European managed forests and the Amazon. However, rising temperatures could lead to a decline in species diversity and population sizes of dung beetles.
In a study conducted in the Amazon region of Peru, researchers from the universities of Würzburg and Bremen discovered that temperature is the decisive factor for the beetles' tolerable living conditions. Other factors, such as soil moisture and food supply, play only a minor role in species diversity and the number of dung beetles.
"We studied the populations at altitudes ranging from 250 to 3,500 meters above sea level and found that diversity and dung beetle abundance were highest at an altitude of 500 meters," says Dr. Kim Holzmann, a research associate at the Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology at the Biocenter of Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). Unexpectedly for the researchers, the number of dung beetle species fell rapidly between 500 and 250 meters in altitude.
The reason for this observation: At 500 meters, temperatures are within a range that is ideal for the beetles, while the higher temperatures in the lowlands lead to heat stress. In turn, diversity decreased at higher, colder altitudes. In total, the research team collected nearly 5,000 dung beetles in pitfall traps baited with dung, fruit, and carrion. The researchers collected their data in 2022 and 2023.
Many Insect Species in the Amazon Could Reach Thermal Limits
The survey was part of a larger study by the team, which shows that up to half of the insects in the Amazon lowlands could reach their thermal limits as a result of climate change. "Around 70 percent of the world's described insect species are found in the tropics. We observed that insects at higher altitudes can adapt their heat tolerance in the short term. However, many lowland species lack this ability and are therefore endangered," explains Dr. Marcell Peters, an animal ecologist at the University of Bremen.
With this study on the effects of rising temperatures on dung beetles at various altitudes, the research team provided evidence of the broader trend already observed. "The effects of climate change are clearly recognizable in this case," says Holzmann. According to the JMU scientist, if dung beetles are at risk, this likely applies to other insect groups in the Amazon lowlands as well.
Further Information:
www.uni-bremen.de/en/animal-ecology/team/marcell-peters
www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-events/news/detail/news/climate-change-tropical-insects-heat-limit/
Original Publication: Temperature boosts and constrains dung beetle diversity along an Andean-Amazonian altitude gradient. Kim L. Holzmann, Pedro Alonso-Alonso, Yenny Correa-Carmona, Andrea Pinos, Felipe Yon, Mabel Alvarado, Adrian Forsyth, Friederike Gebert, Alejandro Lopera-Toro, Andreas Kolter, Gunnar Brehm, Alexander Keller, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Marcell K. Peters. Proceedings B, March 25, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2792
Contact:
Dr. Marcell Peters
BIOM
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-6348
E-Mail: marcell.petersprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
Dr. Kim Lea Holzmann
Chair of Zoology III – Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology
Biocenter
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Phone: +49 931 31-86716
E-Mail: kim-lea.holzmannprotect me ?!uni-wuerzburgprotect me ?!.de
