Experimental Analysis of Inter- and Intraspecific Competition in Dung Beetle Communities

SUMMARY (1) Inter- and intraspecific competition for bovine dung by dung beetles which tunnel and bury dung beneath the dung pad (paracoprids) was examined using co-occurring species which display contrasting patterns of dung use. The coprine species Catharsius tricornutus and Copris elphenor are large fast burying paracoprids and a pair will bury one dung mass (100-300 g) within 24-48 hours of pad colonization. The onitine Onitis alexis is a large slow burying species that buries dung continuously over many days (400-1000 g) following pad colonization. (2) Parallel field and laboratory experiments were conducted using single or coprine/ Onitis mixed-species density combinations ranging from one to sixteen pairs per 1-5 kg dung pads. Dung burial by each species was assessed 4 days after pad colonization. (3) Results from field and laboratory experiments were very similar. Strong intraspecific competition for dung was shown by all species at densities greater than two to four