Source: UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA submitted to NRP
INSECT SERVICES AND DISSERVICES: IMPACTS OF DUNG BEETLES AND FIRE ANTS ON CENTRAL FLORIDA RANCHLANDS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1015187
Grant No.
2018-67019-27855
Cumulative Award Amt.
$450,000.00
Proposal No.
2017-05524
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 15, 2018
Project End Date
Apr 14, 2023
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[A1401]- Foundational Program: Soil Health
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
12722 RESEARCH PARKWAY
ORLANDO,FL 32826
Performing Department
Biology
Non Technical Summary
An ecological approach to understanding agricultural systems is critically needed. The focus of this research proposal is to determine the impacts of dung beetles, fire ants, and their interactions in subtropical grassland ecosystems commonly used for beef cattle production. This research project applies directly to Sustainable Agroecosystems: Functions, Processes and Management, Program Priorities: 1) Nutrient Cycles and Management to evaluate the physical processes affecting the fluxes, fate and transport, transportation, and storage of single or multiple nutrients, and especially 2) Ecosystem Services and Agro-ecosystem Management that develops innovative management practices and novel systems for their potential to enhance ecosystem services. The research is designed to determine how fire ants and dung beetles affect the output of three ecosystem services, one provisioning and two regulating, for subtropical managed grasslands supporting cattle ranching operations. A sampling project conducted across 3 ranches and experimental fire ant colony removals and dung beetle exclusions will be used to understand how pasture management affects the delivery of disease control and grass production services provided by the insects.The study will provide an important, experimental investigation of insect-provided ecosystem services in subtropical grasslands and deliver a bioeconomic model to value these services and a variety of educational, outreach, and economic products.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10101991070100%
Knowledge Area
101 - Appraisal of Soil Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this research are to determine the impacts of dung beetles, fire ants, and their interactions in subtropical grassland ecosystems commonly used for beef cattle production.The research objectives are to determine how (1) fire ants and (2) dung beetles affect the output of three ecosystem services, one provisioning and two regulating, for subtropical managed grasslands supporting cattle ranching operations. Results from these studies will be used to (3) deliver a bioeconomic model to value these services and a variety of educational, outreach, and economic products.
Project Methods
SamplingSampling will be conducted in year 1 across all three ranches to determine the relationships among dung beetle and fire ant abundance, soil fertility, pest and parasite loads in dung, and grass quality. Four pastures will be selected from each ranch for sampling fire ant densities, dung beetle communities (beetle richness, relative abundance), soil nutrients, soil temperature, dung deposition, gastrointestinal parasite loads in dung, horn fly abundance in dung, and grass (forage) quality. Dung deposition will be measured by counting the number of pats in plots. Visual estimates of age of dung pats will be made and 3 pats appearing to be ~ 7 days or less (but not less than ~ 24 hours old) will be collected for horn fly abundance analyses as described in experiments, below. At another 3 pats appearing to be greater than 14 days old, we will clip a 10cm ring of grass adjacent to each dung pat bag it for gastrointestinal parasite analysis as described in experiments, below. If fewer than 3 pats of either approximate age category are available, whatever is appropriate will be collected. Soil fertility and forage quality will be measured on- and off active fire ant mounds. One soil sample (core) will be taken from a randomly selected fire ant nest and a randomly selected non-ant site to allow measurements at the surface, at 30 cm and at 1 m depth in each plot. This will yield 2 cores per plot (one ant and one non-ant) and 360 soil core across the three ranches. At each of the depths, cores will be analyzed for organic carbon and nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and microbial biomass. At each of the soil cores a 1 m2 quadrat will be dropped and all plant material clipped leaving a 2 cm stubble. Harvested plant biomass will be sorted by grass, forb, and standing dead material then dried at 60 °C for 48 hours then weighed. Live tissue will then be milled (Wiley mill followed by a specs mill). Forage quality will be assessed through tissue analysis of nitrogen and carbon concentration. Forage crude protein will be estimated by multiplying total nitrogen concentration by a constant of 6.25.Experiments (MAERC only)In years 2-4, fire ant removal experiments will be conducted on 32 (30m × 30m) plots. Experimental plots will be located across 4 semi-native and 4 improved pastures at MAERC with 16 plots randomly located in each pasture type. Each plot location and layout will be carried out as in the sampling plot establishment, above, and no plots will be placed on the sampling plots. The design for the planned experiments will be split-split plot design with fire ant treatments as one factor, dung beetle access to dung as a second factor, and dewormer treatment as the third factor. Fire ants will be removed on these plots using hot water over three years and the ant community, dung beetle community, pest (fly) and parasite (roundworms) in dung will be monitored, and dung turnover, soil fertility, and grass productivity and quality will be assessed. The experiment will be conducted for 3 years to assure that longer term (multiple years) impacts of fire ant removals on forage quality, soil characteristics, and any interactive impacts with dung beetles and dung turnover are detected. Fire ants will be removed using hot water to assure that fire ants and only fire ants are reduced on treatment plots (avoiding non-target impacts that may arise from using broad spectrum insecticides such as poison baits or contact insecticides). Hot water will be generated and applied using a trailer-based hot water apparatus. In year 2, dung deposition will be estimated by counting the number of pats in each plot during fire ant colony censuses (every other month). Each pat will be measured (length, width, depth) to provide an estimate of volume. In year one, 30 randomly selected fresh dung pats and 30 1-2 week-old dung pats will be measured (length, width, depth), collected, and their volume determined. In year 2, vegetation composition and structure will be determined on 20 randomly placed 1 m2 quadrat at the end of the ant pitfall sampling period (August), 10 in each pasture management type. Percent cover of species and bare ground will be determined as will litter depth and vegetation height in each quadrat. Habitat heterogeneity will be determined using the standard deviation for bare ground, litter, vegetation height and species dissimilarity (determined using ordination). Soil fertility will be measured for each plot, as described above (cores taken on and off mounds, analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, etc.), however, 6 cores will be taken per plot (3 on- and 3 off-mound). Productivity (annual net primary productivity) and forage quality will be estimated in years 2-4 using moveable exclosures that prohibit grazing in 1 m2 areas (Knapp et al. 2012). To determine productivity, grazed biomass (a 1 m2 clipped sample taken outside the exclosure measurement) will be subtracted from biomass measured within the 1 m2 exclosure. Moveable exclosures will be distributed across the 32 plots (4 in each pasture type, 2 on- and 2 off-fire ant mounds) on randomly selected mound and non-mound points in year 2. In August of years 2, 3, and 4 plots will be temporarily fenced with electric fence to prevent access by cows. The day before beginning the experiment, dung will be collected from cattle with and without dewormer treatment at MAERC. Dung will be homogenized and formed into standardized pats in the lab and allowed to air dry. Pats will be formed with a mold to ~ 15 cm in diameter and 4 cm deep. Formed pats will be placed in an 8 × 5 grid in plots inside the fenced plots with a minimum distance of 50 cm between pats to reduce the chance of parasite migration. Of the 40 pats, 20 will be dewormer treated and 20 will be dewormer free dung. Half of each treatment category pats (5) will be assigned to be analyzed for horn fly abundance and half will be analyzed for gastrointestinal parasite abundance. Fly pats will be collected after 7 days and brought to the lab where flies will be reared out (25 °C, 50% RH) in the lab and counted. After all flies have emerged, pats will be dried at 70°C for 48 hours, and weighed to assess the loss of organic material. Gastrointestinal parasite dung pats will be left in the field for 30 days, returned to the lab, dried at 70°C for 48 hours, and weighed to assess the loss of organic material. During the parasite dung pat collection, a 10cm ring of grass adjacent to each dung pat will be clipped and bagged for parasite analysis. Extraction of infective gastrointestinal L3 parasite larvae from the grass samples will follow (Demeler et al. 2012).Economic data will be collected alongside the ecological data. Calf weights, prices received, and time spent grazing on each pasture will be collected from the participating ranches. The ecological and economic data will be combined to create a dynamic bioeconomic model of dung beetle and fire ant ecosystem services. The model will be parameterized separately for semi-native and improved pasture. The experimental data will be used to parameterize the equations defining the system's population dynamics. These include the effects of dung beetles and fire ants on horn flies, the effects of dung beetles on parasites, and the effects of beetles and ants on forage quality and availability. The dung beetle population dynamics will also allow for interactions with fire ants and possible effects of dewormers on dung beetles, if supported by the experimental data. The functional form of the insect dynamics will be chosen based on the experimental data and guided by arthropod interaction models. The model will be used to simulate economic profits under various dung beetle and fire ant populations and will consider short-, medium- and long-term planning horizons.

Progress 04/15/18 to 04/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Southeastern US ranching community, US ranching community, US citizens, broader scientific community. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One postdoctoral scholar and 2 undergraduate have received training and professional development under this grant. The postdoctoral scholar has been trained and received professional development opportunities as planned under the standing postdoctoral mentoring plan established by PD King for this project. Undergraduates have received training in field and laboratory skills, insect identification, data management, experimental design, and data analysis. At the conclusion of the grant, the postdoctoral scholar has accepted a permanent job as an assistant professor. Thus, in combination with the undergraduate training, the professional development goals of the project have been fully achieved. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?With the bioeconomic modeling completed, we will disseminate our findings to the ranchers on whose property we are working and to the broader ranching community through the Florida Cattleman's association and through planned, outreach events we will coordinate with County Extension programs in central Florida in winter (2023) and Summer (2024). Sharing the results of the the economic modeling is of the utmost importance as it clearly shows the value of dung beetles to central Florida ranchers and we now have potential pathways forward for managing ranch landscapes that may promote dung beetle persistence. The app (developed in Shiny) is undergoing final revisions and will be fully disseminated by 2024. With this tool ranchers can calculate values of dung beetle dung turnover services based on approximations of dung beetle presence and abundance on their ranches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have made excellent progress in the 2022-2023 year as the project concluded. We have developed a bioeconomic model valuing dung beetle services in central Florida ranchlands demonstrating a value of over $1 million USD per year for the state due to dung turnover alone. We have developed an app that ranchers can use to estimate the value of dung beetles to their ranch each year based on simple observations. We have improved our understanding of how dung beetle distribution and abundance in grasslands is affected by the surround landscape, showing that intensive agriculture such as citrus farming or other row crops in close proximity to grazing areas is associated with declining dung beetle abundance. We have shown that dung beetle abundance drives dung turnover on ranchlands and that improved pasture tends to support fewer dung beetles than semi-natural pastures. We have the final two manuscripts detailing the major findings of the research in revision or review and expect that they will be published in 2023 (in addition to the 2022 publication that is already out). We have plans to attend 2-3 conferences in 2023-2024to disseminate results via conference talks. We will attend one or more Cattleman's Association meetings in 2023 and 2024 to report results and to share the app with ranchers and other stakeholders. All of the data and models generated from this project will be publicly available before the end of 2023.In sum, we have accomplished all of the revised goals (focusing on dung beetle ecology, ecosystem service valuation, and dung beetle abundance) for this project, as planned.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: King, J.R. and L. Ohyama**. 2023. Nest-founding by red imported fire ant queens (Solenopsis invicta) is not limited by Solenopsis thief ant populations. Insectes Sociaux 70: 149152.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Middleton, E., J.R. King, A. Johnson**, and L. Diepenbrock. 2023. Evaluating control methods for red imported fire ant and their effects on hibiscus mealybug in citrus. Journal of Applied Entomology DOI: 10.1111/jen.13110
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ohyama, L. D.B. Booher, and J.R. King. 2023. Ecological traits of social insects: colony, queen, and worker size relationships reveal a nexus trait with broad ecological relevance. Functional Ecology. Online early (https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14355).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2023 Citation: King, J.R. Pesticide-free management of invasive ants impacting ground-nesting wildlife populations. In revision.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2023 Citation: Stanbrook, R.S., M. Bhat, and J.R. King. Dung turnover experiments reveal the economic value of dung beetles to southeastern ranching agroecosystems. In revision.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2023 Citation: Stanbrook, R. and J.R. King. Dung beetle community relationships to agricultural intensity in a sub-tropical landscape. In review.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Using fire ant biology to create a pesticide-free invasive ant management program: highly effective control of fire ants using only hot water to protect endangered wildlife. J.R. King. National Conference on Urban Entomology and Invasive & Pest Ant Conference. Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Impact and value of dung beetles in Central Florida rangelands. R. Stanbrook & J.R. King. A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) USDA grant-holders annual meeting. Washington, D.C.


Progress 04/15/21 to 04/14/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Southeastern US ranching community, US ranching community, US citizens, broader scientific community. Changes/Problems:We have made excellent progress in the 2021-2022 year despite the previous delays created by the pandemic. We are currently seeking as many opportunities to disseminateresults via conferences and meetings with stakeholders in the coming year as most of these meetings and interactions had been previouslycancelled. We intend to attend at least one conference in fall 2022 and another in summer 2023 as well as attending one or more Cattleman's Association meetings. Publishing the 2 remaining manuscripts is also a priority and we will accomplish that this coming year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One postdoctoral scholar and 2 undergraduate have received training and professional development under this grant, so far. The postdoctoral scholar has been trained and received professional development opportunities as planned under the standing postdoctoral mentoring plan established by PD King for this project. Undergraduates have received training in field and laboratory skills, insect identification, data management, experimental design, and data analysis. Of note, due to COVID restrictions, undergraduate students have not been involved in the project since 2020. Currently only the postdoc and PI are working on the grant. As the project has been extended under a one year no-cost extension, at least one more undergraduate will be participating in the remaining field and lab work and data analysis this (2022) fall and spring (2023). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?With the economic modeling completed, we will disseminateour findings to the ranchers on whose property we are working and to the broader ranching community through the Florida Cattleman's association and through planned, outreach events we will coordinate with County Extension programs in central Florida in Fall (2022) and Spring (2023). Sharing the results of the the economic modeling is of the utmost importance as it clearly shows the value of dung beetles to central Florida ranchers and we now have potential pathways forward for managing ranch landscapes that may promote dung beetle persistence. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will conclude the planned sampling project (by the end of Fall 2022), associated climate and land use data gathering and analysis, disseminate the economic modeling, have completed and published the dung fate experiment, and completedthe 2 remaining,planned manuscripts for submission and publication in peer reviewed journals.We will also continue disseminating information to the southeastern ranching communities through outreach efforts over the remaining year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? At the end of summer 2022, we will have completed 4 years of dung beetle sampling. We have expanded our associated data to include current and historical records of dung beetle abundance and diversity in the region, including natural areas as wellas managed pasture systems, expanded the time and geographic scope of the project by adding dung beetle samples gathered from NEON sites throughout the southeastern US region, and gathered a wide variety relevant land use (ground cover, pasture management history), and cattle management (gut parasite treatments, stocking levels) data, to complement the current and historical climate data we have already gathered. The overall goal of this project change is to understand drivers of dung beetle decline in the southeastern US. This project is moving forward with satisfactory progress and we have now completed the data analysis and drafted three manuscripts. One paper is published, one is submitted, and one is to be submitted in 1-2 months. We have a new economics collaborator (Mahadev Bhat, Florida International University) who has worked with us on developing an economic model for understanding and valuing services delivered by dung beetles to ranchers. The majority of his contributions appear in the paper that is under submission. The goal of producing products (papers) disseminating information about the fate of dung on ranches, the economic value of dung beetles to ranchers, and the ongoing decline of dung beetle populations on ranches have nearly been achieved. Complete data sets are available as is the economic model and modeling framework are now completed.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schadegg, P.** and J.R. King. 2021. Feeding habits of Anasaitis canosa (Araneae, Salticidae) in the field. Florida Entomologist 104: 54-55.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bradford, M.A., D.S. Maynard, T.W. Crowther, P.T. Frankson, J.E. Mohan, C. Steinrueck, G.F. Veen, J.R. King, and R.J. Warren II. 2021. Belowground community turnover accelerates the decomposition of standing dead wood. Ecology e03484
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stanbrook, R. and J.R. King. 2022. Dung beetle community composition affects dung turnover in subtropical US grasslands. Ecology and Evolution 12:e8660.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stanbrook, R., M. Bhat, J.R. King. Dung removal functionality by dung beetles: quantifying the million-dollar question.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Dung beetle population declines in central Florida: historical perspective and landscape factors.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: 2022 Killing fire ants and valuing dung beetles: insect ecology informs solutions to big conservation problems. Arizona State University, Social Insect Research Group, Tempe, AZ.


Progress 04/15/20 to 04/14/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Southeastern US ranching community, US ranching community, US citizens, broader scientific community. Changes/Problems:We have made excellent progress in the 2020-2021 year despite the pandemic. The primary setback has been in disseminating results via conferences and meetings with stakeholders as most of these meetings and interactions have been cancelled. We intend to attend at least one conference in fall 2021 and another in summer 2022 as well as attending one or more Cattleman's Association meetings. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One postdoctoral scholar and 2 undergraduate have received training and professional development under this grant, so far. The postdoctoral scholar has been trained and received professional development opportunities as planned under the standing postdoctoral mentoring plan established by PD King for this project. Undergraduates have received training in field and laboratory skills, insect identification, data management, experimental design, and data analysis. Of note, due to COVID restrictions, undergraduate students have not been involved in the project since 2020. Currently only the postdoc and PI are working on the grant. As soon as undergraduates can safely participate in field and laboratory work, they will be included in the training aspects of the project, again. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As soon as we are able to safely do so, we will begin to disseminate our findings to the ranchers on whose property we are working and to the broader ranching community through the Florida Cattleman's association and through planned, outreach events we will coordinate with County Extension programs in central Florida. We are planning on virtually attending upcoming meetings this fall and winter for the first time since the pandemic began. Sharing the results of the the economic modeling is of the utmost importance as it clearly shows the value of dung beetles to central Florida ranchers and we now have potential pathways forward for managing ranch landscapes that may promote dung beetle persistence. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will conclude the planned sampling project, associated climate and land use data gathering and analysis, disseminate the economic modeling, complete the dung fate and life history experiments, and complete the planned manuscripts for submission and publication in peer reviewed journals as this is the final year of funding on the grant. We will also continue disseminating information to the southeastern ranching communities through outreach efforts whenever it can be done safely.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? At the end of summer 2021, we will have completed 3 years of dung beetle sampling. We have expanded our associated data to include current and historical records of dung beetle abundance and diversity in the region, including natural areas as well as managed pasture systems, expanded the time and geographic scope of the project by adding dung beetle samples gathered from NEON sites throughout the southeastern US region, and gathered a wide variety relevant land use (ground cover, pasture management history), and cattle management (gut parasite treatments, stocking levels) data, to complement the current and historical climate data we have already gathered. The overall goal of this project change is to understand drivers of dung beetle decline in the southeastern US. This project is moving forward with satisfactory progress and we have now completed the data analysis and drafted three manuscripts. One paper is currently in submission the other two will be submitted within 1-2 months. We have a new economicscollaborator (Mahadev Bhat, Florida International University) who has worked with us on developing an economic model for understanding and valuing services delivered by dung beetles to ranchers. The goal of producing products (papers) disseminating information about the fate of dung on ranches, the economic value of dung beetles to ranchers, and the ongoing decline of dung beetle populations on ranches have nearly been achieved. Complete data sets are available as is the economic model and modeling framework.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: King J.R. 2020. Fire Ants (Solenopsis, in Part). In: Starr C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ohyama, L., J.R. King, and B.M. Gochnour. 2020. Changes in an invaded Florida ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) community over 25 years. Florida Entomologist 103: 180-190.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Steele, C.H., J.R. King, E. Boughton and D.G. Jenkins. 2020. Distribution of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in central Florida pastures. Environmental Entomology 49: 956-962.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Warren, R.J., J.R. King, and M.A. Bradford. 2020. Disentangling resource acquisition from interspecific behavioral aggression to understand the ecological dominance of a common, widespread temperate forest ant. Insectes Sociaux 67: 179-187.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ohyama, L., J.R. King, and D.G. Jenkins. 2020. Are tiny subterranean ants top predators affecting aboveground ant communities? Ecology 101: e03084.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schadegg, P., and J.R. King. 2021. Feeding habits of the jumping spider Anasaitis canosa (Araneae: Salticidae) in the field. Florida Entomologist 104: 54-55.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bradford, M.A., D.S. Maynard, T.W. Crowther, P.T. Frankson, J.E. Mohan, C. Steinrueck, G.F. Veen, J.R. King, and R.J. Warren II. 2021. Belowground community turnover accelerates the decomposition of standing dead wood. Ecology e03484
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Dung beetle community composition affects dung turnover in subtropical US grasslands. In review. Journal of Applied Ecology.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stanbrook, R., M. Bhat, J.R. King. In preparation. The economic value of dung beetle services in central Florida ranchlands.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: R. Stanbrook and J.R. King. In preparation. Dung beetle population declines in central Florida: historical perspective and landscape factors.


Progress 04/15/19 to 04/14/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Southeastern US ranching community, US ranching community, US citizens, broader scientific community. Changes/Problems:In February 2020, the co-PD on the grant, Dr. Kelly Grogan, was removed as co-PD and her subaward ended. This decision was made by PD King and the University of Central Florida research administration due to Dr. Grogan's lack of communication throughout the entirety of the first (nearly) 2 years of the funding period, lack of engagement with any of the existing project plans, accrued data, and relevant literature, and lack of production of any meaningful research products or communications. Since the project inception, grant proposal, award, and start of the project,Dr. Grogan hadbeen informed of all project changes, has had access to all research products, and has been repeatedly solicited for input, opinion, suggestions, and guidance on all aspects of the project.No demands were made of her to do anything other than provide input and guidance on the economic modeling aspects of the project. Yet, Dr. Grogan at no point engaged with the project or produced any research effort. Thus, the subaward was terminated as Dr. Grogan and the University of Florida were receiving funds for work not initiated or completed. The University of Central Florida and PD King have a complete record of all communications with Dr. Grogan and I would urge USDA-NIFA to requestthe complete record and documentation of the reasons for terminating the subaward if they have any questions. The written record(emails) clearly reflectsthe sequence of events leading to the termination as there have been only two other communications (one in-person meeting and one Skype call - both attended by and witnessed by project members other than PD King and co-PD Grogan) prior to the subaward termination. Dr. Grogan's subaward was terminated because herlack of effort on the grant wasnot acceptable and hadresulted in confusion, uncertainty about how economic modeling efforts should proceed, and threatenedthe planned outcome of the primary research products (peer reviewed publications) because she has been absent from the planning and data management steps that must precede the data collection and analyses. It had becomeunreasonable to wait any longer for Dr. Grogan to become an active collaborator and was a complete waste of project funding to continue a subaward to a co-PD that was providing no input and producing no research products towards the project goals. PD King has recently established a collaboration with Dr. Mahadev Bhat at Florida International University. Dr. Bhat is an expert in economic modeling and has worked on ecosystem service provisioning in a wide variety of ecological scenarios. Dr. Bhat has already produced (in less than 3 months) a model for understanding the economic impacts of dung turnover and dung beetles in pastures and we are in the midst of completing the data analysis and draft manuscript for the first round of the dung fate in central Florida pasture. experiments. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One postdoctoral scholar and 2 undergraduatehave received training and professional development under this grant, so far. The postdoctoral scholar has been trained and received professional development opportunities as planned under the standing postdoctoral mentoring plan established by PD King for this project. Undergraduates have received training in field and laboratory skills, insect identification, data management, experimental design, and data analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We presented research results at the Entomological Society of America 2019 Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO, in November, 2019. At the conclusion of the second year of data gathering (Fall 2020) we will begin to disseminate our findings to the ranchers on whose property we are working and to the broader ranching community through the Florida Cattleman's association and through planned, outreach events we will coordinate with County Extension programs in central Florida. Specifically the economic model that has recently been developed to show the impact of dung beetles on dung turnover and the resulting economic benefit to ranchers will be share to show how dung beetle management may be a viable path forward for improving forage availability. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue the planned sampling project, associated climate and land use data gathering and analysis, disseminate the economic modeling, continue the dung fate and life history experiments, and complete the planned manuscripts for submission and publication in peer reviewed journals. We will also begin disseminating information to the southeastern ranching communities through outreach efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Climate change, cattle management, and fluctuating extreme weather (flooding, drought) impacts on dung beetle communities At the end of summer 2020, we will have completed 2 years of dung beetle sampling. We have expanded our associated data to include current and historical records of dung beetle abundance and diversity in the region, including natural areas as well as managed pasture systems, expanded the time and geographic scope of the project by adding dung beetle samples gathered from NEON sites throughout the southeastern US region, and gathered a wide variety relevant land use (ground cover, pasture management history), and cattle management (gut parasite treatments, stocking levels) data, to complement the current and historical climate data we have already gathered. The overall goal of this project change is to understand drivers of dung beetle decline in the southeastern US. This project is moving forward with satisfactory progress and we expect to have completed the data analysis and draft two associated manuscripts before the next reporting period. Our goal of completing two manuscripts by the end of this period was delayed due to having to find a new collaborator (see project changes, problems) to assist with the economic modeling and due to the expansion of the data set to include historical data and comparative data from natural areas. Complete data sets are available upon request. Economic modeling Economic modeling, conducted in collaboration with new collaborator, Dr. Mahadev Bhat, began this summer and is proceeding as expected, now. Economic modeling will be a part of both of the manuscripts produced from the year 1-2 work. Models are available upon request. Dung fate/life history studies Dung beetles have been reared in laboratory mesocosms, and dung fate studies have been conducted this year in parallel with dung beetle sampling studies and will be complete before the next reporting period. Data from these studies will be incorporated, in part, into the first two planned manuscripts and will also contribute to two other planned manuscripts. Data are available upon request.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Warren, R.J., K. Elliot, I. Giladi, J.R. King, and M.A. Bradford. 2019. Field experiments show contradictory short- and long-term myrmecochorous plant impacts on seed-dispersing ants. Ecological Entomology 44: 30-39.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Warren, R.J., J.R. King, and M.A. Bradford. 2020. Disentangling resource acquisition from interspecific behavioral aggression to understand the ecological dominance of a common, widespread temperate forest ant. Insectes Sociaux 67: 179-187
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: King J.R. 2020. Fire Ants (Solenopsis, in Part). In: Starr C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ohyama, L., J.R. King, and B.M. Gochnour. 2020. Changes in an invaded Florida ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) community over 25 years. Florida Entomologist 103: 180-190.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Steele, C.H., J.R. King, E. Boughton and D.G. Jenkins. 2020. Distribution of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in central Florida pastures. Environmental Entomology.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ohyama, L., J.R. King, and D.G. Jenkins. 2020. Are tiny subterranean ants top predators affecting aboveground ant communities? Ecology e03084
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ecological and economic consequences of dung beetle declines in central Florida ranchlands. Entomological Soc. Am., Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri.


Progress 04/15/18 to 04/14/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Southeastern US ranching community, US ranching community, US citizens, broader scientific community Changes/Problems:In year one of the project (summer, 2018), we have been conducting surveys for dung beetles and fire ants across three cattle ranches spanning the east-to-west breadth of central Florida. During the course of this sampling we have determined that the majority of the ranch landscape is devoid of dung beetles. Of 44 samples collected between end of July and mid-September 2018, almost half 48% (n=21) collected no beetles, 15 samples collected less than five individuals, and only six samples collected greater than five individuals (mean 35.66 ±55.13).This discovery is entirely unexpected and we have subsequently confirmed that this pattern may be part of a longer term trend in dung beetle declines ongoing over the past several decades in this region, rather than simply a seasonal or single-year effect. In the context of our planned scientific work, the low abundance of beetles will make it impossible to conduct the proposed experiments that require high abundances of both dung beetles and fire ants across the ranch landscape. Thus, we have shifted the emphasis to understanding the decline of the dung beetles and to use an economic modeling approach to quantify the cost of the decline to ranchers and to understand the potential impacts of the loss of dung beetle ecosystem services to ranching agroecosystems in this region. Planned project changes and emphasis Climate change, cattle management, and fluctuating extreme weather (flooding, drought) impacts on dung beetle communities To understand the impacts the changing climate of the central Florida region, we will be conducting ongoing surveys of dung beetle communities across the 3 ranches (MAERC, Durando, Longino) that are part of the original, proposed research. These ranches will be sampled once every 3 months (4 sample periods/year), starting in November, 2018 (November, February, May, August) for one year. Sampling will be conducted with multiple methods (pitfall with cow dung, pitfall with mixed media, hand collecting, floating, and light trapping) to assure that a majority of the dung beetle community is sampled. On each ranch we will sample at 10 sampling sites, 5 placed in canopied pasture, and 5 placed in open pasture (lacking canopy). Light trapping will only be conducted in one spot in each of the pasture types. At each pitfall sampling point, soil moisture, dung coverage and persistence, and soil temperature will be measured. Survey data will be used in combination with current and historical land use and climatological data for each site/region as a whole, and historical data of dung beetle species occurrence and relative abundance to generate a comprehensive picture of historical and current trends in the patterns and potential drivers of dung beetle species declines. Economic modeling Using data generated from the surveys, above, as well as existing data on cattle stocking, historical and current use of broad spectrum treatments for gut parasites (e.g. Ivermectin™) we will generate models estimating potential economic losses in cattle production due to the absence of dung beetles that leads to pasture fouling, lost soil nutrients, increased parasite loads, and potential human health risks (i.e. water quality impacts from fouling, and increased pathogen loading). The models will also account for climate change impact such as loss of acreage due to flooding or droughts as extreme weather events increase. The broader impact of these models will be to demonstrate the potential and realized impacts of extreme weather shifts (i.e. flooding/drought) on non-pollinator ecosystem service delivery in cattle production agroecosystems in subtropical ecosytems. Life history studies The autecology of four species of dung beetle Copris minutus (tunneler), Onthophagus tuberculifrons (tunneler), Labbarrus psuedolividus (dweller) and Melanocanthon bispinatus (roller) will be used to better understand the impacts of temperature and moisture changes associated with climate change on dung beetle species resident in central Floridian agropastoral lands. These four species represent the three main functional guilds of dung beetles found in Florida and encompass both introduced and native species. We will conduct laboratory mesocosm experiments to understand fecundity, optimal conditions for reproduction (temperature, moisture), functional behavioral profiles (depth of tunneling, distance from dung), and behavioral observations in and out of the dung environment pertinent to reproduction/brood rearing. Obtaining knowledge about a species' life history and reproductive behavior is fundamental for understanding its potential delivery of ecosystem services and how this role may change with fluctuating environmental conditions. Data generated from these experiments will provide knowledge on dung beetle reproductive output and survivability under different environmental conditions associated with intense cycling of both flooding and drought that are becoming increasingly common in the central Florida region. Dung fate We will conduct two studies to understand the fate of dung in central Florida cattle pastures. First, we will conduct a one year observational study of the fate of dung pats in different pasture management conditions (open, improved pasture versus canopied, semi-native pastures) where half of pats under observation are accessible by dung beetles and half are covered with exclosures that prevent access by dung beetles. Pats in both treatment types and management conditions will be monitored monthly for one year and data on the shape, size, and longevity of pats will be collected. Second, we will conduct a manipulative dung fate study where soil will be sifted to remove predators and placed in buried bins in pasture. Data loggers will be placed in the binned soil to monitor temperature and moisture. A dung pat will be placed in each bin and half of pats will be covered with exclosures to prevent access by dung beetles. Over the course of 6 months, we will track dung fate and the behavior/activities of the beetles in the dung and soil. Soil conditions including macronutrient content will be assessed before, during, and after the experiment. These experiments aim to elucidate the impact of dung beetles on dung fate, and the role of dung beetles in improving soil conditions. How do the changes still fit within the objectives of the proposed project? The original focus of this research proposal was to determine the impacts of dung beetles, fire ants, and their interactions in subtropical grassland ecosystems commonly used for beef cattle production. The overarching goal of this proposal is to use experiments to better understand insect-mediated ecosystem services affecting dung turnover, parasite reduction, and forage quality in ranchlands and to use results to identify potential management approaches that improve the delivery of those services and, ultimately, economic gains to ranchers. In the original proposal, the activities and impacts of dung beetles were of primary concern and the impacts of fire ants were focused primarily on understanding how their activities may ultimately impact dung beetle activities. As we have now identified that dung beetles may be in precipitous decline in this region, we feel that our proposed project changes will ultimately address the original goal of the proposal (use experiments to better understand insect-mediated ecosystem services affecting dung turnover, parasite reduction, and forage quality in ranchlands) while simultaneously developing a deeper understanding of what the impacts of the loss of keystone insects, dung beetles, may have upon cattle production and ecosystem function in these agroecosystems. These changes also fit within the budget we had originally proposed making them feasible and practical. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One postdoctoral scholar and 2 undergraduates have received training and professional development under this grant, so far. The postdoctoral scholar has been trained and received professional development opportunities as planned under the standing postdoctoral mentoring plan established by PD King for this project. Undergraduates have received training in field and laboratory skills, insect identification, data management, experimental design, and data analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We will present research results, to date, at the Entomological Society of America 2019 Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO, in November, 2019. At the conclusion of the first year of data gathering (Fall 2019) we will begin to disseminate our findings to the ranchers on whose property we are working and to the broader ranching community through the Florida Cattleman's association and through planned, outreach events we will coordinate with County Extension programs in central Florida. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue the planned sampling project, associated climate and land use data gathering and analysis, begin the economic modeling, continue the dung fate and life history experiments, and complete the planned manuscripts for submission and publication in peer reviewed journals. We will also begin disseminating information to the southeastern ranching communities through outreach efforts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Please see "Changes/Problems," below, for a list of (complete) project changes. Progress is outlined here under each of the stated project change categories. Climate change, cattle management, and fluctuating extreme weather (flooding, drought) impacts on dung beetle communities Dung beetle sampling has proceeded, as planned, with sampling every 3 months. Thus, we are nearing the end of completing an entire 1st year of dung beetle sampling. We have expanded our associated data to include historical records of dung beetle abundance and diversity in the region, expanded the time and geographic scope of the project by adding dung beetle samples gathered from NEON sites throughout the southeastern US region, and gathered a wide variety relevant land use (ground cover, pasture management history), and cattle management (gut parasite treatments, stocking levels) data, to complement the current and historical climate data we have already gathered. The overall goal of this project change is to understand drivers of dung beetle decline in the southeastern US. This project is moving forward with satisfactory progress and we expect to have two manuscripts completed and submitted before the next reporting period. Economic modeling Economic modeling, conducted in collaboration with co-PD Kelly Grogan, will begin at the completion of the first year of data gathering, roughly in November, 2019. Economic modeling will be a part of both of the manuscripts produced from the year 1 work. Dung fate/life history studies Dung beetles are being reared in laboratory mesocosms, and dung fate studies have begun in parallel with dung beetle sampling studies and will be complete before the next reporting period. Data from these studies will be incorporated, in part, into the first two planned manuscripts and will also contribute to two other planned manuscripts.

Publications