Editing Cow dung (section)

==Ecology==
Cow dung provides food for a wide range of animal and fungus species, which break it down and recycle it into the [[food chain]] and into the [[soil]].

In areas where cattle (or other mammals with similar dung) are not native, there are often also no native species which can break down their dung, and this can lead to infestations of pests such as flies and parasitic worms. In [[Australia]], [[dung beetle]]s from elsewhere have been introduced to help recycle the cattle dung back into the soil. (see the [[Australian Dung Beetle Project]] and Dr. [[George Bornemissza]]).<ref name="adbp">Bornemissza, G. F. (1976), The Australian dung beetle project 1965-1975, ''Australian Meat Research Committee Review'' 30:1-30</ref>

Cattle have a natural aversion to feeding around their own dung. This can lead to the formation of taller ungrazed patches of heavily fertilized sward. These habitat patches, termed "islets", can be beneficial for many grassland arthropods, including spiders (Araneae) and bugs (Hemiptera). They have an important function in maintaining biodiversity in heavily utilized pastures.<ref name="adkd">Dittrich, A. D. K. and Helden A. J. 2012. Experimental sward islets: the effect of dung and fertilisation on Hemiptera and Araneae. Insect Conservation and Diversity 5:46-56.</ref>