The Invasive African Dung Beetle Digitonthophagus gazella Dominates Pastures in the Threatened Caatinga Biome, Harming Native Dung Beetles.

The invasive African dung beetle Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius, 1787) has been introduced into South American cattle pastures, raising growing concerns regarding its ecological effects on native dung beetle communities. In this study, we evaluated the effects of D. gazella dominance on the native dung beetle fauna in 21 cattle pastures within the threatened Caatinga biome (Raso da Catarina ecoregion, Brazil). We examined how increasing D. gazella dominance affects native species richness, abundance, diversity, evenness, community composition, and the structure of different functional groups. Our results reveal strong negative effects of D. gazella predominance, including declines in species richness and abundance, significant losses in diversity of common and abundant species, and marked changes in species composition. Large-bodied and paracoprid functional groups were especially affected. Although D. gazella is efficient at removing cattle dung, its dominance in Neotropical pastures may drive biotic homogenization by suppressing native species, eroding functional diversity and creating potential environmental and economic impacts. These findings underscore the importance of long-term monitoring of D. gazella populations and native dung beetle-focused management in ecosystems across tropical America.