The document herewith deals with the geography, geology, and climate of the Mexican territory as the basis to further explain the development of Limnology as a science in this country. An early knowledge started with the Aztecs, with evidence of practical solutions for a life within a lake. After the conquest of the American territories by the Spaniards, the exploration of the new territories provided the main source of information relative to natural resources. In 1938, the Mexican government established the Estacion Limnologica de Patzcuaro and the pioneer studies appeared under the name of Spanish scientists not only here but also at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and the Instituto Politecnico Nacional. During the 1970s, the participation of Mexican limnologists began and the attempt to build-up a conceptual framework in its own for lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. This article outlines the main limnological characteristics of Mexican water bodies, highlights the peculiarities of a transitional zone between the tropics and subtropics, and describes the government structure for management and administration. A fast development in this area of knowledge got underway with the creation of the Asociacion Mexicana de Limnologia in 1997 and the collaboration with international counterparts.

Limnology in Mexico

Insects are involved in the biogeochemical cycles of multiple elements and influence soil fertility. In particular, soil insects and the functions that they support can affect the response of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes. We experimentally studied the role of dung beetles as recyclers of cow dung in drylands of the Central Monte in mid-western Argentina; and we extrapolated these results to ecosystem impact in a grazing field, considering the dung beetle's abundance in summer. We conducted experiments with four species of dung beetles (Sulcophanaeus imperator, Eucranium arachnoides, Digitonthophagus gazella and Malagoniella puncticollis), and quantified their abundance on the field. Dung beetles incorporated nitrogen, ammonium, and phosphorous to the soil, but this activity varied substantially among species. The highest quantity of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphate was incorporated to the soil by S. imperator, one of the larger beetle studied. While the per capita effect of S. imperator is superior to other species studied, the impact on the ecosystem of the invasive D. gazella might be superior due to their major abundance in grazing fields. Our results highlight the importance of considering both components, per capita effect and abundance, to estimate with more reliability the relative importance of dung beetle species. Given that the effect of dung beetles on nutrient cycling is variable among species, and their abundance is variable in space, it is important to conserve beetle diversity in order to maximize their beneficial impacts on soils. Therefore, dung beetle effect on soil might be crucial in drylands to mitigate the nitrogen losses caused by grazing.

Dung beetles and nutrient cycling in a dryland environment

Human activities in tropical forests are the main causes of forest fragmentation. According to historical factor in deforestation processes, forest remnants exhibit different sizes and shapes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dung beetle assemblage on fragments of different degree of sizes. Sampling was performed during rainy and dry season of 2010 in six fragments of Atlantic forest, using pitfall traps baited with excrement and carrion. Also, we used two larger fragments as control. We used General Linear Models to determine whether the fragments presented distinguished dung beetle abundance and richness. Analysis of Similarities and Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling were used to determine whether the dung beetle assemblage was grouped according to species composition. A total of 3352 individuals were collected and 19 species were identified in the six fragments sampled. Dung beetle abundance exhibited a shift according to fragment size; however, richness did not change among fragments evaluated. Also, fragments sampled and the two controls exhibited distinct species composition. The distinction on abundance of dung beetles among fragments may be related to different amount of resource available in each one. It is likely that the dung beetle richness did not distinguish among the different fragments due to the even distribution of the mammal communities in these patches, and consequent equal dung diversity. We conclude that larger fragments encompass higher abundance of dung beetle and distinct species. However, for a clearer understanding of effects of fragmentation on dung beetles in Atlantic forest, studies evaluating narrower variations of larger fragments should be conducted.

https://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbent/v59n2/0085-5626-rbent-59-02-00126.pdf

Dung beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) assemblage of a highly fragmented landscape of Atlantic forest: from small to the largest fragments of northeastern Brazilian region

Andean forests are subjected to strong habitat disturbance and fragmentation due to the creating of pasture and crop monocultures, especially coffee. In addition, there is little information available concerning the ability of these forest relicts to maintain their biodiveristy. This study was conducted in a coffee-ranching farm in the municipality of Tarso (Antioquia), Colombia, using dung beetles are a bioindicator group. Three inventories in three habitats were conducted, each via a transect with nine pitfall traps baited with pig feces during 48 hours. A total of 779 individuals belonging to 13 species and 7 genera were collected. Onthophagus curvicornis (n = 196, 25,2%) and Oxysternon conspicillatum (n = 159, 20,4%) were the dominant species. There were no significant differences among the habitats in terms of richness, abundance, or diversity, but they did differ in biomass. The assemblage was dominated by diggers, with some endocoprids, and no roller species, indicating the high degree of disturbance

Estructura de un ensamblaje de escarabajos coprófagos (coleoptera: scarabaeinae) en tres sitios con diferente uso del suelo en antioquia, colombia dung beetle assemblage structure (coleoptera: scarabaeinae) in three sites with differing land use in antioquia, colombia

Beetles comprise not only the most diverse group of insects, but also contribute significantly to vital ecological functions. A quantitative formula to determine the optimal level of investment in the beneficial beetle conservation is still not available. I aim to establish specific attention to beetles and their role in tropical island ecosystems in small archipelago in Indonesia. The study aims to give further insights into beetle diversity patterns on islands in the Kepulauan Seribu Marine National Park and on Java, and how island isolation and area affect assemblage composition. My research also provides insights into the effects of anthropogenic activities on beetle diversity on these islands. A first important result is the substantial number of highly abundant island species and a high number of unique island species found in the study areas, indicating islands as potentially important for the global conservation of genetic resources. My results also highlight the highly varied results relating to the use of two different types of traps, pitfall traps and FITs, for sampling beetles. It underscores the need for complementary trapping strategies using multiple methods for beetle community surveys in tropical islands. When testing the equilibrium theory of island biogeography using beetle assemblages, the overall results of this study chiefly support the classic theory of island biogeography. My works also highlight the impacts of anthropogenic activities. The positive effects of such human activities on the overall species richness of beetles are clearly reflected in my result. More island beetle species encountered chiefly in settlement areas than forest species. However, when comparing the type of forest habitat on the islands, undisturbed forests harbour a higher number of unique species than disturbed forests. Finally, this study suggests that the diversity of herbivorous beetles on islands is strongly affected by the different levels of forest cover encountered.

Biogeography and ecology of beetles in a tropical archipelago: A case study from Kepulauan Seribu Marine National Park

Shahabuddin (2010) Diversity and community structure of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) across habitat disturbance gradient in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi. Biodiversitas 11: 29-33. Dung beetles are important component of most terrestrial ecosystems and used to assess the effects of habitat disturbance and deforestation. This study aimed at comparing dung beetle assemblages among several habitat types ranging from natural tropical forest and agroforestry systems to open cultivated areas at the margin of Lore Lindu National Park (LLNP), Central Sulawesi (one of Indonesiaâ€™s biodiversity hotspots). Therefore, 10 pitfall traps baited with cattle dung were exposed at each habitat type (n = 4 replicate sites per habitat type) to collect the dung beetles. The resultsshowed that species richness of dung beetles declined significantly from natural forest to open area. However cacao agroforestry systems seemed to be capable of maintaining a high portion of dung beetle species inhabiting at forest sites. The closer relationship between dung beetle assemblages recorded at forest and agroforestry sites reflects the high similarity of some measured habitat parameters (e.g. vegetation structure and microclimate) between both habitat types, while species assemblages at open areas differedsignificantly from both other habitat groups. These results indicated that habitat type has importance effect on determining the species richness and community structure of dung beetles at the margin of LLNP.Key words: forest conversion, diversity, habitat selection, dung beetles marker.

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Diversity and community structure of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) across a habitat disturbance gradient in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi

Shahabuddin (2011) Effect of land use change on ecosystem function of dung beetles: experimental evidence from Wallacea Region in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 12: 177-181. The deforestation of tropical forests and their subsequent conversion to humandominated land-use systems is one of the most significant causes of biodiversity loss. However clear understanding of the links between ecological functions and biodiversity is needed to evaluate and predict the true environmental consequences of human activities. Thisstudy provided experimental evidence comparing ecosystem function of dung beetles across a land use gradient ranging from natural tropical forest and agroforestry systems to open cultivated areas in Central Sulawesi. Therefore, standardized dung pats were exposed at each land-use type to assess dung removal and parasite suppression activity by dung beetles. The results showed that ecosystem function of dung beetles especially dung burial activity was remarkably disrupted by land use changes from natural forest to open agriculturalarea. Dung beetles presence enhanced about 53% of the total dung removed and reduced about 83% and 63% of fly population and species number respectively, indicating a pronounce contribution of dung beetles in our ecosystem.

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Effect of land use change on ecosystem function of dung beetles: experimental evidence from Wallacea Region in Sulawesi, Indonesia

ABSTRAK Peran Kumbang Koprofagus pada Dekomposisi Kotoran Hewan dan Kesuburan Tanah: Pengaruh Ukuran Tubuh, Keragaman Species dan Biomasa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh keragaman species, ukuran dan biomassa kumbang koprofagus dalam merombak kotoran hewan dan meningkatkan kesuburan tanah. Percobaan dilakukan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap dengan perlakuan jumlah dan panjang tubuh spesies kumbang koprofagus. Peubah tergantung yang diamati adalah persentase kotoran yang terdekomposisi dan kadar bahan organik serta N,P,K total tanah sebagai indikator kesuburan tanah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa persentase kotoran hewan yang terdekomposisi lebih dipengaruhi oleh ukuran dan biomassa kumbang yang terlibat dibandingkan dengan jumlah spesies. Persentase kotoran yang terdekomposisi berkorelasi positif dengan ukuran kumbang koprofagus. Kadar N,P,K total tanah meningkat mengikuti jumlah kotoran hewan yang terdekomposisi yang mengindikasikan bahwa aktifitas perombakan kotoran hewan oleh kumbang koprofagus berpengaruh positif terhadap kesuburan tanah. Kata kunci: Kumbang koprofagus, komposisi spesies, dekomposisi, kesuburan tanah

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The Role of Coprophagous Beetles on Dung Decomposition and Enhancement OF Soil Fertility: Effect Of Body Size, Species Diversity and Biomass

This study analysed the response of dung beetles âˆ’ a group of beetles which play a major role in decomposition of dung and animal carcasses âˆ’ to changes of vegetation structure due to forest conversion to different human-made habitat types at the margin of Lore Lindu National Park. Therefore, dung beetles were sampled at natural forest, cacao agroforestry systems and open area. A total of 28 species of coprophagus beetle species were recorded from the sampled sites. Species richness and abundance of dung beetles, particularly of large species, decreased from forest towards agroforestry systems and open areas. However, more than 80 % of the species recorded in natural forest were found in cacao agroforestry systems Of the measured habitat parameters, particularly the number of tree species, air temperature, and canopy cover had a significant power for explaining changes in dung beetle ensembles along the gradient of land-use intensity.Â© 2007 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS SurakartaKey words: Coprophagus beetles, forest conversion, vegetation structure, cacao agroforestry

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Response of Coprophagus Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on changes of vegetation structure in various habitat types at Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi

Research on insect biodiversity in Indonesia which is known as megabiodiversity still not yet a lot of done. Dung beetles represent one of insect group owning very important ecological role and enough suscebtible to condition change of an ecosistem so that is often made as one of bioindicator. Although it was estimated that there is about 1000 to 2000 species of dung beetle in Indo-Australia archipelago but theexact species number of Indonesiaâ€™s dung beetles not yet been known, since the are more than 17,000 islands in the country and different islands posseses a lot of endemic species. The lack of entomologist especially taxonomist and the limited of identification key available also become the problems of study on dung beetles biodiversity as well as another group of insect in Indonesia. Therefore, we need some effort expected to solve these problem in order to accelarate the research of insect biodiversity in Indonesia.Â© 2005 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS SurakartaKeywords: biodiversity, insects, dung beetles, Scarabaeidae

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Shahabuddin Shahabuddin

Papers

Diversity and community structure of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) across a habitat disturbance gradient in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi

Effect of land use change on ecosystem function of dung beetles: experimental evidence from Wallacea Region in Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Role of Coprophagous Beetles on Dung Decomposition and Enhancement OF Soil Fertility: Effect Of Body Size, Species Diversity and Biomass

Response of Coprophagus Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on changes of vegetation structure in various habitat types at Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi

REVIEW : Research on insect biodiversity in Indonesia: Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and its role in ecosystem