Modification in the dung beetles communities on highland grasslands of the Iberian Central System (Spain) along an altitudinal gradient

The effect of a moderated altitudinal variation (500 m) on the dung beetle communities is studied in highland grasslands of the Iberian Central System. The more is the altitude the less is the richness of these communities. This decrease is more important in the warm south slope stations than in the north slope stations, since south slope grasslands are inhabited for a larger number of species with small populations, which are unable to colonize grasslands of the highest altitude. The Scarabaeidae species are the principal component of this latter group. However there is not an altitudinal variation in the abundance. In addition, north-slope dung beetle communities have a lesser number of species, but similar number of individuals and larger biomass. These results are in accordance with a density compensation pattern.