Comparison of species diversity, richness, and abundance of dung beetles between wildlife and wildlife-livestock ecosystems of Namibia.

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Assessing the species diversity, richness, and abundance of dung beetles in wildlife and wildlife-livestock ecosystems is crucial in understanding the effects of anthropogenic processes on the community structures of dung beetles to improve conservation strategies in Namibia. We tested the hypothesis that the species diversity, richness, and abundance of dung beetles in wildlife ecosystems will be better than in wildlife-livestock ecosystems. Sampling of dung beetles was carried out using baited pitfall traps for a period of 12 months. Linear transects of 1.1 km in length were installed with 12 pitfall traps separated by a distance of 100 m from each other. An independent samples test (P = 0.05) was used to compare the species diversity of dung beetles in two ecosystems. A total of 56,701 individuals were collected from both wildlife and wildlife-livestock ecosystems belonging to 44 species, 25 genera, and 8 tribes. The species diversity of the two ecosystems was similar (H’; t = 1.146, df = 22, P &gt; 0.05). The wildlife ecosystem was more species-rich (n = 43) when compared to the wildlife-livestock ecosystem (n = 35). The species abundance and richness were significantly difference between the two ecosystems (p = &lt; 0.05). A higher Shannon-Wiener Index (H’ = 2.63) was reported in wildlife ecosystems than in wildlife-livestock ecosystems. Different land-use systems have proven to have an impact on species assemblage of dung beetles. We concluded that wildlife ecosystems in Namibia can provide a rich ecological and functional dung beetle community.