Dung beetle moms protect their offspring from a warming world by digging deeper

It would probably start with dung beetles if the show covered animals and humans. The insects are one of the most important recyclers. They eat and bury the waste from other animals.

In forests, grassland, prairies, and deserts, there are dung beetles. They are also dealing with the effects of climate change.

I have been studying dung beetles for over two decades. My focus is on how beneficial animals respond to temperature changes.

The insects don't use heat to maintain their temperature. It is possible for adults to move to warmer or colder areas. Life stages that are less mobile can be affected by temperature changes.

Adult dung beetles bury their brood balls deeper in the soil in order to protect their offspring from the elements.

Champion recyclers

The dung beetles provide many ecological benefits by collecting and burying their waste. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cattle farming is one of the things they do.

Secondary seed dispersal is done by dung beetles. Bears and monkeys have seeds in their dung that are buried by beetles. It protects the seeds from being eaten and makes them more likely to grow.

Advertisement

Around the world there are thousands of dung beetle species. Some feed on dead animals and fruit while others only eat dung.

The stars and the Milky Way are used by some species for navigation. The world's strongest insect is the bull-headed dung beetle.

The dung beetles use that strength to gather manure.

Rolling and tunneling

Most popular images of dung beetles show them collecting manure and rolling it into balls to spirit away. In fact, some species are rollers and others are tunnelers that dig into the ground under a dung pat, bring dung down into the tunnel and pack it into a clump or sphere, called a brood ball. The female then lays an egg in each brood ball and backfills the tunnel with soil. Rollers do the same once they get their dung ball safely away from the competition.

The larva feeds on dung from the brood ball as it emerges as an adult. It goes through the entire process inside the brood ball.

Warmer temperatures, smaller beetles

The next generation is affected by the next generation of dung beetles. If a female puts a brood ball underground, it will experience cooler temperatures than it would near the surface.

Adult body size can be affected by temperature during development. Children will die if temperatures are too hot. The next generation's reproductive success can be affected by the temperature below that point.

Smaller males can't compete with larger males and smaller females can't compete with larger females Smaller-bodied beetles remove less dung so they don't provide as much benefit to humans and the environment.