title: Big dung beetles dig deeper: trait-based consequences for faecal parasite transmission.
abstract: Observational evidence suggests that burial of faeces by dung beetles negatively influences the transmission of directly transmitted gastrointestinal helminths. However, the mechanistic basis for these interactions is poorly characterised, limiting our ability to understand relationships between beetle community composition and helminth transmission. We demonstrate that beetle body size and sex significantly impact tunnel depth, a key variable affecting parasite survival. Additionally, high parasite loads reduce the depth of beetle faeces burial, suggesting that the local prevalence of parasites infecting beetles may impact beetle ecosystem function. Our study represents a first step towards a mechanistic understanding of a potentially epidemiologically relevant ecosystem function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Nichar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.affiliation: ICF International, Washington, DC 20006, USA.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, Brazil.
authors.forename: Trícia Maria F de S
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, USA; Department of Ecology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK. Electronic address: lizsnichols@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nichols
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000635:transmission; D006376:Helminths / Q000502:physiology*; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D058751:Livestock; D008297:Male
keywords: Disease; Ecosystem function; Ecosystem services; Helminth; Livestock; Macroparasite; Parasite ecology; Scarabaeinae