Download or read book Ecology and Evolution of Dung Beetles written by Leigh W. Simmons and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the evolutionary and ecological consequences of reproductive competition for scarabaeine dung beetles. As well as giving us insight into the private lives of these fascinating creatures, this book shows how dung beetles can be used as model systems for improving our general understanding of broad evolutionary and ecological processes, and how they generate biological diversity. Over the last few decades we have begun to see further than ever before, with our research efforts yielding new information at all levels of analysis, from whole organism biology to genomics. This book brings together leading researchers who contribute chapters that integrate our current knowledge of phylogenetics and evolution, developmental biology, comparative morphology, physiology, behaviour, and population and community ecology. Dung beetle research is shedding light on the ultimate question of how best to document and conserve the world's biodiversity. The book will be of interest to established researchers, university teachers, research students, conservation biologists, and those wanting to know more about the dung beetle taxon.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Dung Beetles written by C. H. Scholtz and published by Andersen Press (UK). This book was released on 2009 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a relatively small group of insects, dung beetles have attracted an inordinate amount of scientific interest over the years. This started with the work of the famous French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre about 100 years ago, but it the work of Gonzalo Halffter of Mexico, and his colleagues, who first placed dung beetles on the scientific map by the publication of two important synthetic works. The first was published in 1966 ("Natural History") and this was followed by another in 1982 ("Nesting and Breeding Behaviour"). A multi-authored book on dung beetle ecology, edited by Ilkka Hanski and Yves Cambefort, was published in 1991. These volumes are long out of print and mostly unavailable. In the 18 years since the last book was published there has been a steady stream of research published on dung beetle phylogeny, biogeography, physiological ecology and conservation, fields that were not, or barely treated in the previous books. The current work synthesises and updates most of the major elements covered in those studies, but introduces several novel sections in a phylogenetic approach to the natural history of dung beetles. The aspects covered, in five sections, are the following: evolution and ecological success of dung beetles; physiological and behavioural ecology of dung beetles; phylogeny of the Scarabaeinae; historical biogeography of the Scarabaeinae and its physical and biotic drivers; and, conservation of dung beetles. The content of the book is balanced in such a way that the information contained in it should be of interest to general entomologists, research specialists on dung beetle natural history, insects systematists, students of entomology, agricultural scientists and insect conservationists.

Download or read book Dance of the Dung Beetles written by Helen Lunn and published by Wits University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-01 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sweeping scientific and social history of the humble dung beetle The humble and industrious dung beetle is a marvelous beast: the 6,000 species identified so far are intricately entwined with human history and scientific endeavor. These night-soil collectors of the planet have been worshipped as gods, worn as jewelry, and painted by artists. More practically, they saved Hawaii from ecological blight, and rescued Australia from plagues of flies. They fertilize soil, cleanse pastures, steer by the stars, and have a unique relationship with the African elephant (along with many other ungulates). Above all, they are the ideal subject for biological study in an evolving world. In this sweeping history of more than 3,000 years, beginning with Ancient Egypt, scientist Marcus Byrne and writer Helen Lunn capture the diversity of dung beetles and their unique behavior patterns. Dung beetles’ fortunes have followed the shifts from a world dominated by a religion that symbolically incorporated them into some of its key concepts of rebirth, to a world in which science has largely separated itself from religion and alchemy. With over 6,000 species found throughout the world, these unassuming but remarkable creatures are fundamental to some of humanity’s most cherished beliefs and have been ever present in religion, art, literature, science and the environment. They are at the center of current gene research, play an important role in keeping our planet healthy, and some nocturnal dung beetles have been found to navigate by the starry skies. Outlining the development of science from the point of view of the humble dung beetle is what makes this charming story of immense interest to general readers and entomologists alike.

Download or read book Ecology and Evolution of Dung Beetles written by Leigh W. Simmons and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-05-06 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the evolutionary and ecological consequences of reproductive competition for scarabaeine dung beetles. As well as giving us insight into the private lives of these fascinating creatures, this book shows how dung beetles can be used as model systems for improving our general understanding of broad evolutionary and ecological processes, and how they generate biological diversity. Over the last few decades we have begun to see further than ever before, with our research efforts yielding new information at all levels of analysis, from whole organism biology to genomics. This book brings together leading researchers who contribute chapters that integrate our current knowledge of phylogenetics and evolution, developmental biology, comparative morphology, physiology, behaviour, and population and community ecology. Dung beetle research is shedding light on the ultimate question of how best to document and conserve the world's biodiversity. The book will be of interest to established researchers, university teachers, research students, conservation biologists, and those wanting to know more about the dung beetle taxon.

Download or read book Dung Beetle Ecology written by Ilkka Hanski and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In many ecosystems dung beetles play a crucial role--both ecologically and economically--in the decomposition of large herbivore dung. Their activities provide scientists with an excellent opportunity to explore biological community dynamics. This collection of essays offers a concise account of the population and community ecology of dung beetles worldwide, with an emphasis on comparisons between arctic, temperate, and tropical species assemblages. Useful insights arise from relating the vast differences in species' life histories to their population and community-level consequences. The authors also discuss changes in dung beetle faunas due to human-caused habitat alteration and examine the possible effects of introducing dung beetles to cattle-breeding areas that lack efficient native species. "With the expansion of cattle breeding areas, the ecology of dung beetles is a subject of great economic concern as well as one of intense theoretical interest. This excellent book represents an up-to-date ecological study covering important aspects of the dung beetle never before presented."--Gonzalo Halffter, Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico City Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Download or read book The African Dung Beetle Genera written by Adrian Louis Victor Davis and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Book of Beetles written by Patrice Bouchard and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Profiles 600 of the most stunning, most wonderfully adapted beetles around . . . The result is a work that is nothing short of magnificent.” —Wired When renowned British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane was asked what could be inferred about God from a study of his works, Haldane replied, “An inordinate fondness for beetles.” With 350,000 known species, and scientific estimates that millions more have yet to be identified, their abundance is indisputable as is their variety. They range from the delightful summer firefly to the one-hundred-gram Goliath beetle. Beetles offer a dazzling array of shapes, sizes, and colors that entice scientists and collectors across the globe. The Book of Beetles celebrates the beauty and diversity of this marvelous insect. Six hundred significant beetle species are covered, with each entry featuring a distribution map, basic biology, conservation status, and information on cultural and economic significance. Full-color photos show the beetles both at their actual size and enlarged to show details, such as the sextet of spots that distinguish the six-spotted tiger beetle or the jagged ridges of the giant-jawed sawyer beetle. Based in the most up-to-date science and accessibly written, the descriptive text will appeal to researchers and armchair coleopterists alike. The humble beetle continues to grow in popularity, taking center stage in biodiversity studies, sustainable agriculture programs, and even the dining rooms of adventurous and eco-conscious chefs. The Book of Beetles is certain to become the authoritative reference on these remarkably adaptable and beautiful creatures. “Photographs of more than 600 colorful, glossy species, resembling bejeweled broaches morethan creepy crawlies, are presented at actual size.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Carabid Beetles Ecology and Evolution written by K. Desender and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Carabidae form one of the largest and best studied families of insects, occurring in nearly every terrestrial habitat. The contributions included in this book cover a broad spectrum of recent research into this beetle family, with an emphasis on various aspects of ecology and evolution. They deal both with individual carabid species, for example in studies on population and reproductive biology or life history in general, and with ground beetle communities, as exemplified in papers treating assemblages in natural habitats, on agricultural land and in forests. Disciplines range from biogeography and faunistics, over morphology, taxonomy and phylogenetics, ecophysiology and functional ecology, to population, community, conservation and landscape ecology. This volume is the result of the 8th European Carabidologists' Meeting, 2nd International Symposium of Carabidology, September 1-4, 1992, Belgium.

Download or read book Insect Ecology And Conservation written by Simone Fattorini and published by . This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foreword - In the last twenty years, insect conservation has attracted the attention of an increasing number of researchers, as testified by the publication of textbooks [e.g. 1, 2], monographs [e.g. 3, 4], proceedings of symposia, workshops and congresses [e.g. 5-9] and two dedicated journals (Journal of Insect Conservation, started 1997 and Insect Conservation and Diversity, a recently started journal). This book is not intended to be a balanced, comprehensive, and up-to-date review of the latest developments in the fields of insect ecology and conservation. Rather, it is a selection of papers representing different perspectives in insect conservation. The conceptual understanding needed to guide our actions in response to practical conservation problems obviously builds on basic researches in the fields of evolutionary biology, genetics, systematics, ethology, biogeography and ecology [e.g. 10]. The papers presented here offer a range of relevant and emerging themes that form the ecological basis of modern insect conservation. Insects are frequently used as model systems in conservation biology. However, in contrast with the veritable mountain of papers devoted to the conservation of single vertebrate species, most of the research on insect conservation is multi-species oriented, being more focused on the preservation of species assemblages than single species (see, for examples, papers published in the Journal of Insect Conservation). The paper by Eva Maria Griebeler, Henning Maas and Michael Veith presented here exemplifies current topics in landscape ecology and metapopulation biology from an entomological perspective. This paper, focused on the viability of the red-winged grasshopper Oedipoda germanica in a dynamic mosaic of vineyards and abandoned lots in Germany, is an example of a species-oriented approach showing the importance of collecting accurate field data and using appropriate simulation models to draw valid conclusions about the future of a population. Because basic knowledge, money and time are limited, one of the most debated problems in conservation biology is the use of indicator taxa as surrogates of the biodiversity of other taxa [11-15]. This is particularly compelling for highly diverse areas, ecosystems, or animal groups (like insects) where it is difficult, or even impossible, to obtain complete inventories. Although aquatic insects have long played an important role in conservation biology (e.g. as bioindicators of water quality), few studies have examined whether species richness community structure in different groups of stream insects shows similar patterns, whether these patterns are governed by similar responses to the environment, and whether there is temporal variability. In their paper on the among-taxon congruence in four major stream insects groups in Finland, Jani Heino and Heikki Mykrä found that predictions of species richness from environmental and spatial variables may be limited, and should be used with caution in conservation planning. They also found that no single stream insect group can be used as a surrogate of species richness and assemblage dissimilarity in other taxonomic groups and that the relationships between species richness and ecological gradients are variable and usually weak. These findings underline the need to also consider taxonomically difficult groups and to promote taxonomic studies and skills as essential prerequisites for effective conservation actions. Simon Grove, Dick Bashford and Marie Yee present here a long-term study with an extraordinary taxonomic effort to identify all saproxylic (dead wood-dependent) beetles associated with large logs in Tasmania's wet eucalypt production forests. They demonstrate the enormous richness of the saproxylic beetle fauna able to occupy Eucalyptus obliqua logs in their early stages of decomposition. This paper offers an example of an experimental approach to the conservation implications of declining availability of large logs, and shows that obligately saproxylic species were more numerous than facultative species. Because of temporal and financial limitations, most conservation studies resort to a 'snapshot' approach, which documents the fauna at a particular 'point' in time (which may span a year or more) and may or may not also attempt to document temporal changes. The study presented here underlines the importance of long-term analyses. This is especially compelling for saproxylic beetles, as there is a succession of species according to the age of decaying logs. Thanks to the long-term approach, these authors were able to show that very few species were common, and most were rare. In this paper rare species are considered those with few individuals sampled. In addition to local population density, other important dimensions of rarity of a species may be its geographical range and degree of ecological specialization, and these forms of rarity are discussed in other chapters. Species rarity assessment is one of the most important targets in conservation biology. The strong link between conservation and rarity lies in the idea that rare species have a greater threat of extinction than common species do [16-18]. Thus, conservation of rare species is driven by the view that the central goal of conservation is to prevent or limit the extinction of species. But, how well can the distribution (and hence the concentration) of geographically rare species be predicted by environmental characteristics? Jorge Miguel Lobo, Pierre Jay-Robert and Jean-Pierre Lumaret present an analysis of the spatial distribution of dung beetle rarity in France. In the paper published here, they considered three measures of geographical rarity (number of rare species, sum of rarity scores, and mean of rarity scores) to derive a synthetic rarity value. Based on this index, they found that for Scarabaeidae, rarity hotspots corresponded to diversity (species richness) hotspots. In this scenario, the species of Scarabaeidae with comparatively larger distributions and wider environmental adaptations should be more likely to persist. In contrast, rarity and species richness were uncorrelated for Aphodiinae. They argued that the distribution of warm-adapted, rare species of Scarabaeidae and Aphodiinae that have recently expanded range from southern refuges since the last glacial period would be explained by current climatic factors, while the cold-adapted Aphodiinae rare species that recently suffered a range contraction would be less predictable by contemporary environmental variables. Thus, this study underlines that rarity hotspots cannot be predicted only by current ecological factors, but historical factors have to also be taken into account to explain some patterns. The importance of historical biogeography in explaining current distribution patterns and in predicting future population dynamics is stressed in a paper on the conservation biogeography of Anatolian orthopterans by Battal Çiplak. In this paper, Çiplak uses an analogy between interglacial cycles and global warming to predict the future of glacial relicts (taxa confined to high altitude since the last Ice Age). Global warming is considered the main evolutionary force acting on global biodiversity and this action is similar to the effects of past interglacial warming periods. The Anatolian peninsula was an important refugial area during Pleistocene glaciations, but, during each warming cycle, some cold-preferring species remained isolated on the summits of mountain ranges. The consequences of global warming for these relict forms may involve niche changes, range changes and population/species extinction, depending on species ecological tolerances, evolutionary potential and dispersal abilities. Some species could change easily their range, by shifting their distribution latitudinally (northwards) or altitudinally (upwards) in response to increasing temperature, but other species will be reduced to fragmented populations and may become extinct in the absence of suitable habitats outside their present distribution range. This is especially true for rare species, endemic to individual mountains, that cannot colonize other areas. Thus, this paper not only shows how the study of past events can be used to predict the future of species dynamics, but also underlines the importance of macro- and microgeographic constraints in determining range changes. Although the size of the geographical range of a species is an obvious measure of rarity, other forms of rarity should be considered, especially at smaller scales. In their paper on true rare and pseudo-rare species, Paulo A. V. Borges, Karl I. Ugland, Francisco O. Dinis and Clara S. Gaspar used the insect and spider guilds on the island of Terceira (Azores) to shed light upon how recent historical land-use changes may shape the distribution of individual arthropod species. Island biogeography provided most of the conceptual foundations of conservation biology and for a long time the theory of island biogeography dominated much of conservation biology [19]. Although this prominent role is now reduced by the increasing role of other disciplines (like metapopulation biology and landscape ecology) [cf. 19, 20], island biogeography still provides an important theoretical and empirical framework for conservationists [e.g. 21-23]. Islands are natural laboratories and island populations will continue to represent a privileged target for conservationists. Results obtained by Borges and coworkers indicate that numerous species may appear unduly rare because they are sampled in marginal sites or at the edge of their distribution. The high dispersal abilities and wide ecological preferences of many insect and spider species imply that many species tend to be vagrants in several habitats and consequently are locally habitat pseudo-rare species. By contrast, truly regionally rare species are those that are habitat specialists and many of them are threatened endemic species or recently introduced exotic species. These findings provide clear evidence that adequate spatial data on abundance and habitat requirements of single species are needed to properly assess their rarity status at a regional scale. Basic ecological information is an essential starting point for any conservation study and subsequent action. However, in most cases, there is a serious lack of basic knowledge about biological processes for taxa which are of conservation concern. In their paper on thermoregulation in dung beetles José R. Verdú and Jorge M. Lobo explore the relevance of heat production and dissipation temperature control mechanisms on the ecology and biogeography of these insects. Dung beetles include some of the most investigated species from the point of view of thermoregulation process. Verdú and Lobo offer a review of the relationships between flight and thermoregulation, also providing new data on the variation in thermoregulation among species, populations and individuals. They show that both heat production and heat dissipation could be the consequence of evolutionarily contingent adaptations related to the environmental conditions of the regions where the different lineages evolved. Thermal preferences are a neglected species trait in bioconservation. Since preliminary evidence suggests that populations and individuals have a wide physiological plasticity, it will be interesting to assess whether those species with a higher range of endothermic responses are also able to inhabit a higher variety of climatic conditions. An interesting future line of research could be the comparison of the thermal niches between invaders and non-invader dung beetles, as well as between those species that seem to respond quickly or slowly to climatic changes. Conservation research has been mostly focused on some well known insect groups, like butterflies and some beetle families, but the majority of insect taxa are ignored. This is an obvious consequence of the extraordinary variety of insects, and the impracticality of all groups being equally investigated. Tenebrionid beetles are a large family of beetles for which ecological knowledge is still relatively limited, especially in coastal sandy areas, where they represent one of the most important invertebrate groups by both biomass and diversity. Thus, they are an important, but usually neglected taxon, in these highly threatened environments. I present here an extensive review of the ecology of tenebrionid beetles in Mediterranean coastal areas, providing some clues about their conservation and their use as bioindicators in environmental assessment studies. In collecting papers for this book, I made an effort to cover as many major insect taxa as possible. However, the taxonomic coverage is obviously unbalanced and the lack of papers specifically dealing with the conservation of some taxa, like butterflies or ground beetles, which are among the most studied from a conservation perspective [24-26], may be surprising. However, I believe that this is not a serious shortcoming, because these groups are extensively referred to in other books devoted to insect conservation [e.g. 1, 2, 5-7, 9]. What we have come up with finally, I think, is not a thorough survey of the field of insect ecology and conservation, but rather an invitation to the field issued by some of its worldwide practitioners. Not all readers will be equally interested in every chapter, but I feel that most readers will find something interesting and will be stimulated especially by chapters dealing with subjects outside their own fields of study. This volume begun as a response to an invitation by the Research Signpost. I thank Shankar G. Pandalai, Managing Editor of Research Signpost for encouraging me to edit this volume and for all his assistance during the process. I welcome this opportunity to express publicly my obligation to all the contributors for responding so rapidly to my bullying and for sending their manuscripts so rapidly. References 1. Samways, M. J. 1994, Insect Conservation Biology, Chapman and Hall, London. 2. Samways, M. J. 2005, Insect Diversity Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 3. van Swaay, C. A. M., and Warren, M. S. 1999, Red data book of European butterflies (Rhopalocera), Nature and environment, No. 99, Council of European Publishing, Strasbourg. 4. van Swaay, C. A. M., and Warren, M. S. 2003, Prime butterfly areas in Europe: Priority sites for conservation. National Reference Centre for Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries, The Netherlands. 5. Gaston, K. J., New, T. R., and Samways, M.J. (Eds) 1993, Perspectives on Insect Conservation [mainly from presentations given on the theme of insect conservation at the International Congress of Entomology in Beijing], Intercept Press, London. 6. Collins, N. M., and Thomas, J. A. 1991 (Eds), The conservation of insects and their habitats, 15th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Academic Press, San Diego. 7. Harrington, R., and Stork, N. E. (Eds) 1995, Insects in a changing environment, 17th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Academic Press, San Diego. 8. Procter, D., and Harding, P. T. (Eds). 2005, JNCC Report No. 367. Proceedings of INCardiff 2003. Red Lists for invertebrates: their application at different spatial scales practical issues, pragmatic approaches. 14th European Invertebrate Survey Colloquium and meeting, 7th meeting of the Bern Group of Invertebrate Experts, 1st meeting of the IUCN European Invertebrates Specialist Group. JNCC Peterborough, Peterborough. 9. Stewart, A. A., New, T. R., and Lewis, O. T. (Eds). 2007, Insect Conservation Biology, 23rd Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society, Oxford University Press, Oxford. 10. Primak, R.B. 1998, Essentials of Conservation Biology, Second Edition, Sinauer Associates, Sunderland. 11. Vessby, K., Sodersrom, B., Glimskar, A., and Svensson, B. 2002, Conserv. Biol., 16, 430. 12. Moore, J.L., Balmford, A., Brooks, T., Burgess, N.D., Hansen, L.A., Rahbek, C., and Williams, P.H. 2003, Conserv. Biol., 17, 207. 13. Anand, M., Laurence, S., and Rayfield, B. 2005, Conserv. Biol., 19, 955. 14. Maes, D., Bauwens, D., De Bruyn, L., Anselin, A., Vermeersch, G., Van Landuyt, W., De Knijf, G., and Gilbert, M. 2005, Biodiv. Conserv., 14, 1345. 15. Fleishman, E., Thomson, J. R., Mac Nally, R., Murphy, D. D., and Fay, J.P. 2005, Conserv. Biol., 19, 1125. 16. Gaston, K.J. 1994, Rarity. Chapman and Hall, London. 17. Thomas, C.D., Cameron, A., Green, R.E., Bakkenes, M., Beaumont, L.J., Collingham, Y.C., Erasmus, B.F.N., Ferreira de Siqueira, M., Grainger, A., Hannah, L., Hughes, L., Huntley, B., van Jaarsveld, A.S., Midgley, G.F., Miles, L., Ortega-Huerta, M.A., Peterson, A.T., Phillips, O.L., and Williams, S.E. 2004, Nature, 427, 145. 18. Gaston, K.J., and Spicer, J.I. 2001, Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 10, 179. 19. Hanski, I., and Gilpin, M.E. (Eds) 1997, Metapopulation Biology: Ecology, Genetics, and Evolution, Academic Press, San Diego. 20. Walter, H. 2004. J. Biogeogr., 31, 177. 21. Whittaker, R.J., Araújo, M. B., Jepson, P., Ladle, R. J., Watson, J. E. M., and Willis, K. J. 2005, Diversity Distrib., 11, 3. 22. Fattorini, S. 2006a, Anim. Conserv., 9, 75. 23. Fattorini, S. 2006, Conserv. Biol., 20, 1169. 24. Pullin, A. (Ed.) 1995, Ecology and Conservation of Butterflies, Chapman & Hall, London. 25. Boggs, C.L., Watt, W.B., and Ehrlich, P.R. (Eds) 2003, Butterflies: Ecology and Evolution Taking Flight, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 26. Stork, N.E. (Ed.) 1990, The Role of Ground Beetles in Ecological and Environmental Studies, Intercept, Andover.

Download or read book Diving Beetles of the World written by Kelly B. Miller and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2016-10-18 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive book in more than a century to reveal the diversity and natural history of diving beetles. Among the hundreds of thousands of species of beetles, there is one family, containing some 4,300 species, that stands out as one of the most diverse and important groups of aquatic predatory insects. This is the Dytiscidae, whose species are commonly known as diving beetles. No comprehensive treatment of this group has been compiled in over 130 years, a period during which a great many changes in classification and a near quadrupling of known species has occurred. In Diving Beetles of the World, Kelly B. Miller and Johannes Bergsten provide the only full treatments of all 188 Dytiscid genera ever assembled. Entomologists, systematists, limnologists, ecologists, and others with an interest in aquatic systems or insect diversity will find these extensively illustrated keys and taxon accounts immensely helpful. The keys make it possible to identify all taxa from subfamily to genera, and each key and taxon treatment is accompanied by both photographs and detailed pen-and-ink drawings of diagnostic features. Every genus account covers body length, diagnostic characters, classification, species diversity, a review of known natural history, and world distribution. Each account is also accompanied by a range map and at least one high-resolution habitus image of a specimen. Diving beetles are fast becoming important models for aquatic ecology, world biogeography, population ecology, and animal sexual evolution and, with this book, the diversity of the group is finally accessible.

Download or read book Call of Nature written by Richard Jones and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'a true gem' —London Naturalist 'I love this book' —Nick Baker The author completes the book with an identification guide to dung itself, so that you can identify the animal that left it behind. Pellets or pats? Scats, spraints, frass, guano, spoor learn your way around different species droppings. There's also a dung-feeder s identification guide that includes the species you re most likely to encounter on an exploration of the dung heap. Journey through the digestive systems of humans, farm and wild animals, and meet some of nature’s ultimate recyclers as they eat, breed in and compete for dung. The fall of bodily waste onto the ground is the start of a race against the clock as a multitude of dung-feeders and scavengers consume this rich food source. From the enigmatic dung-rolling beetles to bat guano and giant elephant droppings, dung creates a miniature ecosystem to be explored by the aspiring dung watcher. The author completes the book with an identification guide to dung itself, so that you can identify the animal that left it behind. Pellets or pats? Scats, spraints, frass, guano, spoor – learn your way around different species’ droppings. There’s also a dung-feeder’s identification guide that includes the species you’re most likely to encounter on an exploration of the dung heap.

Download or read book Beetles written by Camilla Stack and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2014-01-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beetle species belonging to the coleopteran families Bruchidae, Curculionidae, Laemophoeidae, Silvanidae and Tenebrionidae, as well as beetle-like insects from the psocopteran family Liposcelidae, are responsible for serious damages to agricultural products and resources. These beetles can be primary and/or secondary pests, feeding on integral and healthy grains or attacking those already damaged. The affected grains lose weight and germination power, have nutritive value and vigor decreased, as well as have the hygiene and sanity conditions impaired. This book examines the biodiversity, ecology and role in the environment of beetles.

Download or read book Ecology Systematics and the Natural History of Predaceous Diving Beetles Coleoptera Dytiscidae written by Donald A. Yee and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) constitute one of the largest families of freshwater insects (~ 4,200 species). Although dytiscid adults and larvae are ubiquitous throughout a variety of aquatic habitats and are significant predators on other aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, there are no compilations that have focused on summarizing the knowledge of their ecology, systematics, and biology. Such knowledge would benefit anyone working in aquatic systems where dytiscids are an important part of the food web. Moreover, this work will allow a greater appreciation of dytiscids as model organisms for investigations of fundamental principles derived from ecological and evolutionary theory. Contributed chapters are by authors who are actively engaged in studying dytiscids and each chapter offers a synthesis of the current knowledge of a variety of topics and will provide future directions for research.

Download or read book Biology of Rove Beetles Staphylinidae written by Oliver Betz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are common elements of the soil biota, living in the litter and deeper soil layers. Although they are one of the most diverse and speciose groups of insects, no comprehensive books on their general evolution and ecology are as yet available. This book fills that gap, discussing significant aspects and active research examples in the fields of phylogeny and systematics, ecology and conservation, and reproduction and development. The combination of review chapters and case studies provides an excellent introduction to the biology of rove beetles and enables readers to become familiar with active research fields in this megadiverse group of beetles. Offering easy access to these fields, it also demonstrates how staphylinids are used as bioindicators in applied ecosystem research, including that concerning conservation issues. Experienced scientists and beginners alike find the diversity of subjects covered intriguing and inspiring for continuing and starting their own research. The book is intended for students and researchers in biology and zoology (entomology), including morphologists, ecologists, soil scientists, evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, biogeographers, taxonomists and systematists.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Titis Sakis and Uacaris written by Adrian Barnett and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-11 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first detailed collation of the evolution, ecology and conservation of some of South America's least-known, and most endangered, primates.

Download or read book Neotropical Dung Beetle Diversity Ecological Historical and Anthropogenic Perspectives written by Mario Favila and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-11-28 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) provide fundamental ecosystem functions and services, like nutrient cycling, bioturbation, secondary seed dispersal, parasite and fly control, and soil fertilization, but land use transformation, has negatively impacted their diversity and processes. For the last four decades, dung beetles have been used as one of the most crucial insect groups for analyzing and monitoring biodiversity in natural temperate and tropical ecosystems, and their anthropogenic ecosystem´s derivatives. Dung beetles seem to be declining mainly for the forest conversion to agrosystems and others ecosystems transformed by human activity in the Neotropical region. Our knowledge of the dung beetle responses to the transformation of their original habitat has increased over the last two decades in the Neotropical region. However, the knowledge on the taxonomy, ecology, biology, and the factors producing the anthropogenic activity on Neotropical dung beetles has not been met and analyzed in full. This Research Topic synthesizes the knowledge on the diversity, taxonomy, and biology of the dung beetle species in the Neotropical region. The structure of this Research Topic is composed of two sections. In the first section, articles may be original research papers or reviews on the knowledge of the dung beetles diversity in each country of the Neotropical region, including species diversity and their response to land use and habitat fragmentation. Articles on the second section may be original research papers or reviews on the following Research Topics: • Taxonomy of Neotropical dung beetles and their preservation in Institutional collections • The methodology used to analyze the spatial distribution and monitoring of dung beetles • The response of dung beetles to habitat loss and modification to the landscape in different countries and Neotropical biomes: Cloud forest, Tropical rain forest, Subtropical forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Paramo, Pampa, Pantanal, and others • The physiological responses of dung beetles to anthropogenic disturbance in the Neotropics • The biology and reproductive behavior of Neotropical dung beetles • The genetics of Neotropical dung beetle • Dung beetle interaction with other species and its role as a secondary dispersal • The relationship between dung beetles and Mesoamerican cultures

Download or read book A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada written by David L. Pearson and published by Oxford : Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A color-illustrated field and natural history guide that treats 107 tiger beetle species found in North America above the Mexican border. This work includes biological accounts that emphasize points for identification, behavior, and habitat. Distribution maps show where various species and subspecies can be found.