Climate change and drought conditions can adversely affect species diversity and impact ecosystem service providers. Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) provide essential ecosystem services and are commonly used as bioindicators of change. This study investigates whether other dung-utilising beetles can provide essential ecosystem services if dung beetles are adversely affected by change. Chapter one is a literature review giving background on the life history of the family Scarabaeidae (dung beetles), Hybosoridae and Histeridae. Chapter two compares the effectiveness of two native dung beetles (Scarabaeinae: Onthophagus squalidus and Onthophagus consentaneus) with two other dung-utilising beetles, Histeridae (Saprinus cupreus) and Hybosoridae (Liparochrus sp.), in relation to dung removal and the resulting soil water runoff. All four species were able to remove dung and reduce water runoff however, dung beetles performed better in dung removal and reducing soil water runoff than the other dung-utilising beetles, except for Liparochrus sp. which reduced the same amount of soil water runoff. Chapter three explores the reproductive strategies of the same four beetle species under different substrate moistures. Beetles were sexed, grouped in male and female pairs, and reared on coco peat substrate with 4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% of substrate moisture levels. The offspring emergence time, number of beetles that emerged and offspring body mass were recorded. Results indicated that Onthophagus squalidus and Onthophagus consentaneus adult beetle emergence was greater in low substrate moisture levels at 4% and 8%; Liparochrus sp. had better adult beetle emergence in treatments with higher substrate moisture (12% and 16%) and Saprinus cupreus adult beetle emergence was unaffected by substrate moisture. Chapter four investigates the effects of increasing temperatures on the four species in moist and dry soil, with and without dung presence. Six beetles of each species were placed inside a heat chamber at: 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, and 40 °C. Each heat chamber only contained one species type, and, for each temperature, beetles were exposed to dry soil with dung, moist soil with dung, dry soil without dung, and moist soil without dung. Beetles could leave their chambers at any time over a 168-hour period. Results showed that Liparochrus sp. always left the chambers before 72 hours, while Saprinus cupreus remained unless dung was absent. Both dung beetle species were unaffected by temperature and soil moisture when dung was present. When dung was removed at 25 °C and 30 °C in dry soil, beetles all left the chambers, however at 35 °C and 40 °C, 70% of beetles remained in the chambers. Chapter five examines the impacts of fire frequency, fire severity and prescribed burns and how these conditions affect abundance and species richness of dung-utilising beetles, post-fire, at two locations: Mt. Kaputar National Park and Pilliga Nature Reserve in New South Wales, Australia. Post-fire sites were classified by severity level (low, medium, and high). Unburnt sites were used as a control. Beetle abundance and species richness were recorded for each severity. Species such as Onthophagus squalidus and Liparochrus sp. at Mt. Kaputar associated with unburnt, low severity, and medium severity areas. At Pilliga, species such as Onthophagus consentaneus and Onthophagus dandalu associated with unburnt and low severity areas and Onthophagus taurus and Onthophagus tenebrosus associated with high severity areas. The increase of fire frequency also had a negative impact on beetles at both locations. These studies suggest that while other dung-utilising beetles can contribute to ecological services under specific conditions, dung beetles typically outperform in maintaining these functions.