Plant species richness and phylogenetic diversity can favor the recovery of dung beetle communities in ecological restoration plots.

ABSTRACT: Plant communities with higher species richness and phylogenetic diversity can increase the diversity of herbivores and their enemies through trophic interactions. However, whether these two features of plant communities have the same positive influence on other guilds through non-trophic mechanisms requires further exploration. Dung beetles represent an ideal system for testing such impacts, as they do not have a specialized trophic interaction with plants and are sensitive to changes in vegetation structure and the associated microclimate. We used a dataset of dung beetles collected from forest sites, restoration plots, and cattle pastures to (a) determine whether the richness and phylogenetic diversity of plants within restoration plots influence the total biomass and the taxonomic, func

SUBMITTER: Urrea-Galeano LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11787278 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature