A Survey of the Dung-Dwelling Arthropod Community in the Pastures of the Northern Plains.

ABSTRACT: Grassland ecosystems of the Northern Plains have changed substantially since European settlement began in the latter half of the 19th century. This has led to significant changes to the dung-dwelling arthropod community in the region. As humans continue to modify large portions of the landscape, inventories of ecologically significant communities are important to collect in order to monitor the long-term effects of anthropogenic biomes. We conducted a survey of the arthropod community dwelling in cattle dung from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. In sum, 51,283 specimens were collected from 596 dung pats, comprising a community of 22 orders. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera contributed to the majority (94

SUBMITTER: Schmid RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10816007 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature