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Dung Beetles Ecosystem EngineersDate:
Project code: RnD4profit-16-03-016 Project manager: Claire Dennerly and Adrian Harvey Project duration: October 2019 to April 2022 About the projectDung beetles are nature’s resilience builders. Australian livestock produce some 80 million tonnes of dung a year and unburied dung can take months to break down, meaning the pasture surface will not be suitably grazed. By burying and shredding dung, dung beetles can:
The Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers (DBEE) project is a five-year project supported by MLA through funding from the Australian Government’s Rural Research & Development for Profit program.
In this project, a survey of dung beetles across southern Australia is being conducted to assess seasonal activity. MFMG have delivered a two-year survey, aiming to identify dung beetle species and their abundance, distribution and activity across the Limestone Coast. Data collected will be collated into a larger database which will be useful to identify distribution of dung beetles across Australia, identify gaps in activity and later facilitate their introduction into new regions.
Dung beetle populations differ with respect to their range and adaptation to climatic conditions. A key goal of this project is to have an effective network of dung beetles working across all seasons and regions to keep Australia’s pastures clean and well-fertilised.
Project activitiesMFMG have been working in collaboration with PIRSA to deliver three new trials in the Upper South East as part of the Impacts Program.
The trials were monitored for plant establishment and harvest grain yield and quality; results for all trials are published in the MFMG annual results book. MFMG annual spring field walks visited the sites.
This project is funded by:
Project resources:MFMG Summer 2021/2022 Newsletter Article 2020_Dung Beetle Ecosytem Engineers_Presentation MFMG Winter 2020 Newsletter Article
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