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Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)

Dung beetle eggs develop within the finite nutritional environment of the brood ball, which is made using maternally processed animal faeces. It is thought that microbial and gut-derived excretions constitute the major source of N and C for adult dung beetles, while developing larvae, which have ret...

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Main Author: Yates, Megan
Other Authors: Midgley, Jeremy J
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Biological Sciences 2017
Subjects:
Botany
Ecology
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access_status_str Open Access
author Yates, Megan
author2 Midgley, Jeremy J
author_browse Midgley, Jeremy J
Yates, Megan
author_facet Midgley, Jeremy J
Yates, Megan
author_sort Yates, Megan
collection Thesis
description Dung beetle eggs develop within the finite nutritional environment of the brood ball, which is made using maternally processed animal faeces. It is thought that microbial and gut-derived excretions constitute the major source of N and C for adult dung beetles, while developing larvae, which have retained the mouthparts of their saprophagous ancestors, digest larger particles in the brood ball and rely on symbionts present in the brood ball to provide breakdown products for their nutrition. Stable isotope analysis was used to trace the source of developing larval N and C. Nitrogen and carbon contents, as well as C: N ratios, were used to assess the nutritional quality of this finite food source and to track the changes in these values during the course of development. The main source of both larval and adult N and C was plant-derived and preferential assimilation of gut-derived excretions present in the dung did not occur. Symbionts, including fungi, did not appear to play a significant role in larval nutrition. Extensive amino acid recycling occurs during metamorphosis, indicated by the 0.53 %0 enrichment in 815N in emergent beetles. Maternal processing of bulk dung creates an enhanced nutritional environment for offspring and the maternal faecal deposit, on which the egg is positioned, provides the larvae with an initial, nutrient-rich source of food.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/25597
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:13.838Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2017
publishDateRange 2017
publishDateSort 2017
publisher Department of Biological Sciences
publisherStr Department of Biological Sciences
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/25597 Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) Yates, Megan Midgley, Jeremy J Byrne, Marcus Botany Ecology Dung beetle eggs develop within the finite nutritional environment of the brood ball, which is made using maternally processed animal faeces. It is thought that microbial and gut-derived excretions constitute the major source of N and C for adult dung beetles, while developing larvae, which have retained the mouthparts of their saprophagous ancestors, digest larger particles in the brood ball and rely on symbionts present in the brood ball to provide breakdown products for their nutrition. Stable isotope analysis was used to trace the source of developing larval N and C. Nitrogen and carbon contents, as well as C: N ratios, were used to assess the nutritional quality of this finite food source and to track the changes in these values during the course of development. The main source of both larval and adult N and C was plant-derived and preferential assimilation of gut-derived excretions present in the dung did not occur. Symbionts, including fungi, did not appear to play a significant role in larval nutrition. Extensive amino acid recycling occurs during metamorphosis, indicated by the 0.53 %0 enrichment in 815N in emergent beetles. Maternal processing of bulk dung creates an enhanced nutritional environment for offspring and the maternal faecal deposit, on which the egg is positioned, provides the larvae with an initial, nutrient-rich source of food. 2017-10-12T08:22:20Z 2017-10-12T08:22:20Z 2007 2017-03-09T13:10:19Z Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25597 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Botany
Ecology
Yates, Megan
Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
thesis_degree_str Bachelor's / Honours
title Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
title_full Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
title_fullStr Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
title_full_unstemmed Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
title_short Dung beetles eat plants : insights into the nutritional world of Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
title_sort dung beetles eat plants insights into the nutritional world of euoniticellus intermedius reiche coleoptera scarabaeinae
topic Botany
Ecology
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25597
work_keys_str_mv AT yatesmegan dungbeetleseatplantsinsightsintothenutritionalworldofeuoniticellusintermediusreichecoleopterascarabaeinae

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