Western Kentucky University
Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) in the Upper Guinean Forests of Ankask, Ghana, West Africa
Institution
Western Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Keith Philips
Abstract
The Upper West African Guinean forests are considered one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world and are a vital refuge and region of high species endemicity. Our knowledge of insect diversity in this habitat is poor relative to that found in other threatened areas in the tropics. There is extreme urgency for the study of Upper Guinean forests because this ecosystem is more threatened and is disappearing more quickly than most other global hotspots. Hence, there is also little time remaining to increase information on the ecology of its dung beetle species, a group of great interest because of the complex communities and behaviors exhibited. Studies have begun on dung beetles to document the species, their biology, and make comparisons of the diversity in Ankasa to that found in other regions in Africa.
Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) in the Upper Guinean Forests of Ankask, Ghana, West Africa
The Upper West African Guinean forests are considered one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world and are a vital refuge and region of high species endemicity. Our knowledge of insect diversity in this habitat is poor relative to that found in other threatened areas in the tropics. There is extreme urgency for the study of Upper Guinean forests because this ecosystem is more threatened and is disappearing more quickly than most other global hotspots. Hence, there is also little time remaining to increase information on the ecology of its dung beetle species, a group of great interest because of the complex communities and behaviors exhibited. Studies have begun on dung beetles to document the species, their biology, and make comparisons of the diversity in Ankasa to that found in other regions in Africa.