Mean dry‑weight concentrations (± SD) were: N = 2.8 ± 0.4 % and P = 0.42 ± 0.07 %. No significant variation among sites (N: F₂,₁₇₇ = 1.12, p = 0.33; P: F₂,₁₇₇ = 0.87, p = 0.42). δ¹⁵N values averaged +7.3 ‰, indicating a diet primarily of xylophagous fungi (Miller et al., 2020).
Immediately after pellet collection, leaf‑litter samples (10 g) from the same quadrat were placed in Berlese funnels for 48 h to extract micro‑fauna. Extracted organisms were identified to order level under a stereomicroscope. Abundance data were standardised per gram of litter. Scatrina Pooping Outdoor
Scatrina outdoor pooping is a temporally predictable, spatially structured behaviour that delivers concentrated nitrogen and phosphorus to the forest floor, thereby fostering a richer detritivore community and enhancing decomposition processes. Recognising such subtle yet consequential behaviours enriches our understanding of insect‑driven nutrient dynamics and underscores the importance of preserving understory structure in tropical forest management. Mean dry‑weight concentrations (± SD) were: N = 2
Our data demonstrate that Scatrina acts as a “bioturbator” at the micro‑scale, creating nutrient‑rich patches that attract detritivores. This aligns with the concept of “ecosystem engineers” (Jones et al., 1994), where the activities of a single species generate habitat heterogeneity. The enhanced abundance of Collembola and Nematoda may, in turn, accelerate litter decomposition, closing a feedback loop that sustains the beetles’ fungal diet. Our data demonstrate that Scatrina acts as a
Quadrats with higher pellet density (> 15 pellets m⁻²) supported significantly greater abundance of Collembola (springtails) and Nematoda (p < 0.001, mixed‑effects model). Linear regression revealed that each additional 5 pellets m⁻² increased total detritivore abundance by 12 % (β = 0.024 ± 0.006, t = 4.02). Species richness of micro‑fauna was also positively correlated with fecal density (R² = 0.31, p = 0.004).