Non-indigenous dung beetle can reproduce using indigenous mammal dung
Author Information
Author(s): Indigo Alexe, Katelyn Stokes, Olivia Burchell, Paul Manning
Primary Institution: Dalhousie University
Hypothesis
Can the non-native dung beetle Onthophagus nuchicornis effectively use the dung of wild mammals for reproduction?
Conclusion
The non-indigenous dung beetle Onthophagus nuchicornis can reproduce using the dung of various wild animals indigenous to eastern North America, although it performs best with sheep dung.
Supporting Evidence
- O. nuchicornis produced significantly more offspring using sheep dung compared to other dung types.
- Beetles using fox and raccoon dung produced significantly fewer offspring.
- Offspring fitness did not vary significantly across dung types.
Takeaway
This study shows that a non-native dung beetle can have babies using poop from local animals, but it likes sheep poop the best.
Methodology
The study used controlled laboratory experiments to assess the reproductive success of O. nuchicornis using dung from various indigenous mammals.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the collection of beetles only from sheep dung, which may not represent the full range of conditions.
Limitations
The study was limited by the availability of fresh dung from native mammals, resulting in low statistical power.
Participant Demographics
Beetles were collected from sheep pastures and included both male and female individuals.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0005
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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