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Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
4-30-2026
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College
Agriculture, Food and Environment
Department/School/Program
Entomology
Faculty
Nate Haan
Faculty
Charles Fox
Abstract
Dung beetles provide ecosystem services in pasture systems but are vulnerable to chemical residues in livestock dung. Parasiticides containing macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are used to control parasites in livestock and are excreted unmetabolized in dung, exposing non-target organisms to these compounds. We used a multi-scale approach to examine whether ML residues alter dung beetle foraging ecology. At the field scale, we assessed dung beetle abundance and community composition using traps baited with dung from untreated cattle and cattle treated with ivermectin, moxidectin, or eprinomectin across eight farms and natural areas. At a smaller scale, we conducted behavioral assays to quantify individual foraging decisions of two dung beetle species, Onthophagus taurus and Onthophagus hecate, in choice arenas containing untreated and treated dung. Field results revealed no consistent differences in dung beetle communities among treatments, although temporal and geographic variation in abundance was observed. Similarly, behavioral assays showed no significant preferences, despite O. taurus beetles spending 2.2 times more time in eprinomectin dung, and O. hecate beetles spending 1.6 times more time in moxidectin-treated dung. Together, these findings suggest that dung beetle responses to ML-contaminated dung are context-dependent and that ML residues do not consistently influence foraging decisions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.201
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Archival
Funding Information
This research was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service – Food Animal Production Research Unit (ARS–FAPRU) through a Cooperative Agreement awarded to the author’s advisor, under which the author was supported as a contributor (funding years: 2024 - 2026).
Additional support was provided through funds awarded directly to the author from the M-G CAFÉ Karri Casner Environmental Science Fellowship (funding years: 2025 - 2026).
Recommended Citation
Kluge, Madison L., "IMPACTS OF LIVESTOCK DEWORMERS ON DUNG BEETLE FORAGING CHOICES ACROSS SPATIAL SCALES" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Entomology. 100.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_etds/100
