Succession of Dung-Inhabiting Beetles and Flies Reflects the Succession of Dung-Emitted Volatile Compounds

Chemical cues, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are often essential for insects to locate food. Relative the volume of studies on role VOCs in insect-plant relationships, emitted by dung and carrion mediating behavior insect decomposers is understudied. Such relationships may provide a mechanistic understanding temporal axis community assembly processes decomposing communities. We focused succession volatiles released cow pats potential influence dung-inhabiting insects. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry we identified quantified from 1-h, 1, 2 3, 5, 7 d-old. then related changes successional patterns beetles flies. detected 54 which could be assigned two groups, with chemical turnover changing around day 2. The early group consisted primarily aliphatic alcohols phenols, late one esters, nitrogen- sulfur-bearing compounds. Flies were predominately associated group, mainly 1-butanol. Beetles late-successional dimethyl trisulfide. This association between supports idea that habitat filtering drives an aging resource. Moreover, affinity both groups specific VOC provides explanation predictability found