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Explore the factors affecting the abundance of American burying beetles at various geographic scales, from local to regional, and discuss implications of body size. Funding provided by various organizations for research. Hypotheses for their decline also outlined.
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Factors influencing abundance of the American burying beetle at different geographic scalesCurtis CreightonPurdue University Calumet
Co-presenters Robert Basarache - Ouachita National Forest, United States Forest Service, Idabel, OK 74745 Mark V. Lomolino - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 Mark Belk - Department of Integrative Biology Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 846024 Gary D. Schnell - Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73072 Ana E. Hiott - Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73072
Body Size Implications • Larger species tend to depend on larger prey • Larger species tend to occupy a greater diversity of habitats • Larger species tend to require larger home ranges
Factors affecting abundance at local scales:Tiak District of Ouachita National Forest
Factors affecting local abundance Tree density: 2.3 – 4.6 m2 / ha
Factors affecting local abundance Tree density: 10.3 – 15.0 m2 / ha
1.4 Plot 1 1.2 Plot 2 Plot 3 1.0 0.8 Beetles/Trap-night 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 Year Factors affecting local abundance
1 0.8 0.6 Before Beetles/Trap*night 0.4 After 0.2 0 Seed-Cut Select 1 Select 2 Site Factors affecting local abundance Randomization test p = 0.045
Factors affecting local abundance r = -0.527 p < 0.01
Factors affecting local abundance Distance (km) from border r = 0.521 p < 0.01
Factors affecting abundance at regional scales:Eastern Oklahoma
Factors affecting regional abundance 25000 r = -0.04 20000 15000 Area size (ha) 10000 5000 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 Beetle density - N. orbicollis
Factors affecting regional abundance 25000 r = 0.94 20000 15000 Area size (ha) 10000 5000 0 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 Beetle density - N. americanus
Hypotheses explaining the decline of the American burying beetle • Habitat loss and fragmentation (Anderson 1982) • artificial lighting • vertebrate competition • loss of carrion • congener competition • Extinction of the passenger pigeon • Pathogen
Funding provided by: United States Forest Service Military Department of Arkansas United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Management