Move over worm farms, dung beetles can boost plant growth too

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-03-20 11:01

Australia; WA

Image by Mich Logan from Pixabay

Dung beetles increase plant growth by an average of 17%, according to a new Aussie analysis of previous research, which puts the beetle boost at a similar level to the increase in growth you get from earthworms. The researcher found that by burying the dung, the beetles helped plants to grow, but there was a lot of variability in the data with some studies showing the beetles lowered plant growth by as much as 72% and others showing they increased it by up to 802%. They found that the beetles helped to increase plant weights more than plant lengths, and that plant growth was greater when more beetles were hauling dung.

News release

From: The Royal Society

Monty Dung – A meta-analysis has revealed dung beetle activity increases plant growth by an average of 17%. It is generally understood that the process of burying dung for feeding and breeding helps plants to grow by increasing the nutrients they can take up from the soil. Analysis of 24 publications found stronger effects when more dung beetles were present, however their impact on plant growth was not observed in all studies. This quantitative evidence of the ecosystem services provided by dung beetles could help inform resource and land use decisions, the authors said. Proceedings B.

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Proceedings of the Royal Society B
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb

Monty Dung - Dung beetles increase plant growth: a meta-analysis
Insects are thought to provide important services to humanity through their contributions to both natural and agricultural environments. Here we assess evidence from the literature suggesting that by burying animal dung, dung beetles can improve the quality of soil and thereby enhance the growth of plants. Overall, we found evidence that dung burial by beetles increased plant growth by 17%. This effect was influenced by the number of beetles present, and was predominantly associated with improved above-ground shoot growth.

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conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Western Australia, CSIRO

Funder: The authors received no funding for this study.

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