In the summer of 2023, our brave team of MSc Student Katie Stokes, undergraduate research assistants Olivia and Alexe, and myself (Paul) designed a research project to explore whether the feeding habits of the non-native dung beetle Onthophagus nuchicornis were sufficiently flexible to allow it to use the dung of various wild animals in eastern North America. The short answer: yes, but it’s a little more interesting than that.
Then undergraduate student (current PhD student) Alexe Indigo, grabbed a hold of the reins and saw this paper through several rounds of review at PeerJ through completion of an independent study course. We whole-heartedly recommend this journal for the conscientious reviews, excellent editorial assistance, and easy-to-use submission platform.
We are happy to share that this work was recently published. Thanks to the team at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park for making this work possible. You can read the paper in all it’s glory here. Happy 2025! 🙂
Insect Biodiversity in Agroecosystems Lab 