SPECIES COMPOSITION, DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF DUNG BEETLES (Onthophagus gazella and Onitis alexisi) IN RELATION TO SOIL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND HABITAT TYPES IN DEMSA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
Dung Beetle, Nutrient Cycling, Relative Abundance, Soil Physicochemical Properties, Species DiversityAbstract
Dung beetles are important ecological indicators that contribute to nutrient cycling, soil aeration, and ecosystem stability; however, limited information exists on their species composition, diversity and relationship with soil physicochemical properties and habitat types in northern Nigeria. This study investigated species composition, diversity and abundance of dung beetles (onthophagus gazella and onitis alexisi) in relation to soil physicochemical properties and habitat types in Demsa Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Dung beetles were collected using dung-baited pitfall traps from Mbula Kuli, Demsa, and Borrong, while soil samples were analyzed for pH, moisture content, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus, exchangeable acidity, and potassium. Data were analyzed using Shannon diversity index, Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and Chi-square statistics. A total of 154 dung beetles belonging to two species, Onthophagus gazella and Onitis alexis, were identified. Onthophagus gazella was the dominant species, accounting for 146 individuals (94.8%), while O. alexis recorded only 8 individuals (5.2%). Borrong recorded the highest abundance (65 individuals), followed by Demsa (49) and Mbula Kuli (40). Shannon diversity indices were generally low, ranging from 0.08 in Borrong to 0.42 in Mbula Kuli. Pearson correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between dung beetle abundance and soil moisture (r = 0.72), organic matter (r = 0.76), total nitrogen (r = 0.74), phosphorus (r = 0.81), and potassium (r = 0.67), while exchangeable acidity showed a negative relationship (r = –0.52). Habitat type significantly influenced abundance (χ² = 6.25, P < 0.05). Soil fertility and habitat heterogeneity strongly influence dung beetle communities. Sustainable grazing, reduced agrochemical use, and improved soil fertility management are recommended to conserve dung beetle diversity and ecosystem functions.
Downloads
References
Adeyefa, C. A., Olatunde, G. O. and Ojo, J. A. (2014). Diversity of dung beetles in agroecosystems of southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Ecology. 52(4): 581–588. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12158
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. (2016). Official methods of analysis of AOAC International (20th ed.). AOAC International.
Barragán, F., Moreno, C. E., Escobar, F., Halffter, G., & Navarrete, D. (2011). Negative impacts of human land use on dung beetle functional diversity. PLoS ONE. 6(3): e17976. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017976
Bogoni, J. A., Hernández, M. I. M. and Peres, C. A. (2020). Co-declining mammal–dung beetle faunas throughout the Atlantic Forest biome of South America. Ecography. 43(3): 432–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04874
Brady, N. C. and Weil, R. R. (2008). The nature and properties of soils (14th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Braga, R. F., Korasaki, V., Andresen, E. and Louzada, J. (2022). Dung beetle community and functions along a habitat-disturbance gradient in the Brazilian Amazon: A multi-scale assessment. Biotropica. 54(1): 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13028
Brussaard, L., Behan-Pelletier, V. M., Bignell, D. E., Brown, V. K., Didden, W., Folgarait, P., Fragoso, C., Freckman, D. W., Gupta, V. V. S. R., Hattori, T., Hawksworth, D. L., Klopatek, C., Lavelle, P., Malloch, D. W., Rusek, J., Söderström, B., Tiedje, J. M. and Virginia, R. A. (1997). Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in soil. Ambio. 26(8): 563–570.
Davis, A. J., Holloway, J. D., Huijbregts, H., Krikken, J., Kirk-Spriggs, A. H. and Sutton, S. L. (2001). Dung beetles as indicators of change in the forests of northern Borneo. Journal of Applied Ecology. 38(3): 593–616. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.2001.00619.x
Davis, A. L. V., Scholtz, C. H. and Kryger, U. (2021). Dung beetle diversity and functional roles in pastoral and agro-pastoral systems of Africa. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14(4), 377–393. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12487
Doube, B. M. (1990). A functional classification for analysis of the structure of dung beetle assemblages. Ecological Entomology. 15(4): 371–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1990.tb00820.
Englmeier, J., von Hoermann, C., Rieker, D., Benbow, M. E., et al. (2022). Dung-visiting beetle diversity is mainly affected by land use, while community specialization is driven by climate. Ecology and Evolution. 12(10): e9386. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9386
Filgueiras, B. K. C., Liberal, C. N., Aguiar, C. D. M., Hernández, M. I. M. and Iannuzzi, L. (2009). Attractivity of omnivore, carnivore and herbivore mammalian dung to Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in a tropical Atlantic rainforest remnant. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 53(3): 422–427. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0085-56262009000300017
Frank, K., Hülsmann, M., Aßmann, T., Schmitt, T. and Blüthgen, N. (2017). Land use affects dung beetle communities and their ecosystem service in forests and grasslands. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 243: 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.010
Gardner, T. A., Hernández, M. I. M., Barlow, J. and Peres, C. A. (2008). Understanding the biodiversity consequences of habitat change: The value of secondary and plantation forests for neotropical dung beetles. Journal of Applied Ecology. 45(3): 883–893. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01454.x
Halffter, G. and Arellano, L. (2002). Response of dung beetle diversity to human-induced changes in a tropical landscape. Biotropica. 34(1), 144–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00250.xHanski, I., & Cambefort, Y. (1991). Dung beetle ecology. Princeton University Press
Hanski, I. and Cambefort, Y. (1991). Dung beetle ecology. Princeton University Press.
Horgan, F. G. (2015). Dung beetles as regulators of ecosystem services: Patterns of functional guilds across a tropical elevation gradient. Ecological Entomology. 40(4): 436–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12206.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. (1979). Laboratory manual for soil and plant analysis. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.
Nichols, E., Larsen, T., Spector, S., Davis, A. L., Escobar, F., Favila, M. and Vulinec, K. (2007). Global dung beetle response to tropical forest modification and fragmentation: A quantitative literature review and meta‐analysis. Biological Conservation. 137(1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2007.01.023
Nichols, E., Spector, S., Louzada, J., Larsen, T. H., Amézquita, S. and Favila, M. E. (2008). Ecological functions and ecosystem services provided by Scarabaeinae dung beetles. Biological Conservation. 141(6): 1461–1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.04.011
Nunes, C. A., Braga, R. F. and Korasaki, V. (2021). Dung beetles as indicators of ecosystem health in tropical forests and agroecosystems. Ecological Indicators. 123: 107324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107324.
Ochai, M. I., Aremu, J. K. and Agada, E. E. (2024). Effects of poultry litter on soil physico-chemical properties for crop production in Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Sciences. 8(6): 111–117. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2024-0806-2757
Oyun, M. B., Adeyemo, A. J., Fasinmirin, J. T., et al. (2025). Evaluation of selected soil physicochemical properties for integrated soil fertility management in agricultural communities in Southern and Northern Nigeria. Discover Applied Sciences. 7: 1094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07389-0
Salau, T. A., & Olowe, B. M. (2024). Impact of animal dung on soil pH and microbiota: A study of two medium-scale livestock farms in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Journal of Biological Research and Biotechnology. 22(3): 2513–2521.
Shannon, C. E. and Weiner, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press.
Slade, E. M., Mann, D. J. and Lewis, O. T. (2011). Biodiversity and ecosystem function of tropical forest dung beetles under contrasting logging regimes. Biological Conservation, 144(1): 166–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.08.011
Yusuf, Z., Garba, Y. I., Richard, M. A. and Haruna, U. J. (2024). Assessment of the physicochemical properties of soil in farmlands of Birnin Yero, Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Sciences. 8(6): 388–400. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2024-0806-2768.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
