Adaptations of locusts and grasshoppers to the low and variable rainfall of Australia

Hunter, David M.; Walker, Paul; Elder, R. J.

doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2001)010[0347:aolagt]2.0.co;2

Cited by 39 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The greater diversity of Orthoptera recorded in Koléa station, where the winter minima temperatures are milder, fit with the preliminary results of Petit and Benfekih (2009), but long-term studies of meteorological parameters and Orthoptera dynamics should be undertaken to arrive at sound conclusions (Carter et al, 1998;Cigliano et al, 2002;Hunter et al, 2001;Köhler et al, 1999).…”

Section: Influence Of Climatic Constraints On Assemblagessupporting

confidence: 72%

Effects of weak climatic variations on assemblages and life cycles of Orthoptera in North Algeria

Guendouz-Benrima¹,

Mitiche²,

Petit³

2011

Journal of Arid Environments

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Section: Influence Of Climatic Constraints On Assemblagessupporting

confidence: 72%

Effects of weak climatic variations on assemblages and life cycles of Orthoptera in North Algeria

Guendouz-Benrima¹,

Mitiche²,

Petit³

2011

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…In some scenarios, livestock grazing increased grasshopper abundance and decreased species diversity (Joern 2004), whereas other studies found the opposite (Capinera and Sechrist 1982;Jepson-Innes and Bock 1989;Quinn and Walgenbach 1990;Onsager 2000). Likewise, precipitation and temperature had varying effects (Johnson and Worobec 1988;Kemp and Cigliano 1994;Ovadia and Schmitz 2004;Jonas and Joern 2007;Powell et al 2007;Gardiner 2010;Hunter et al 2010). The influence of grazing and precipitation on grasshopper communities may vary among sites, years, grasshopper species and vegetation assemblages, making these relationships complex and nuanced (Capinera and Horton 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape level patterns of grasshopper communities in Inner Mongolia: interactive effects of livestock grazing and a precipitation gradient

et al. 2015

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Context Grasshoppers are a dominant herbivore assemblage globally and play an important role for ecosystem nutrient cycling. Yet, we lack a strong understanding of the relationship between grasshopper diversity and plant community composition at the landscape scale. Objective Our aim was to test landscape scale relationships between plant and grasshopper communities. Methods We used a large-scale, replicated experiment at four sites, including grazed and protected pastures across a 350 km transect and 200-400 mm precipitation gradient in the steppes of Inner Mongolia, China. We analyzed the relationships between plant and grasshopper parameters with ANOVAs and CCA. ResultsWe collected 17 grasshopper species and 15,000? individuals. The desert steppe (lowest precipitation) had the lowest grasshopper richness and diversity, but abundance was not different from the other sites. In two dry sites (desert steppe and Stipa steppe), livestock grazing decreased grasshopper diversity and increased abundance of the main pest species. In contrast, at the highest precipitation site (meadow steppe), grasshopper communities did not differ between grazing levels. Across all sites and grazing intensities, grasshopper abundance tended to be lowest and diversity highest in plant communities with intermediate levels of biomass and plant species richness. Conclusion These results support the concept that appropriate land use management practices would be beneficial for increasing biodiversity, promoting grassland sustainability, and reducing outbreaks of the dominant pest grasshopper in Inner Mongolia. Our study suggests that different management approaches Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (are necessary depending on the average annual precipitation and that the driest sites are most vulnerable to disturbance.

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“…C. terminifera outbreaks occur following rainfall during the warmer months in the Mitchell grasslands of the arid and semi‐arid interior (Australian Plague Locust Commission 1986; Wright 1987; Hunter 1989; Hunter, Walker & Elder 2001). Population dynamics are influenced by the ability of the locusts to use the growth of grass resulting from a single rainfall event to complete nymphal development and migrate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plagues are more likely to develop following high rainfall and this has been attributed to the extended period of D. radulans availability (Hunter 1989). Grass growth follows one rainfall event, and as follow‐up rain rarely falls (Hunter et al . 2001), locusts that have not completed their nymphal development are forced to switch to the perennial A. lappacea as D. radulans dies off.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradoxical effects of nutrient ratios and supply rates on an outbreaking insect herbivore, the Australian plague locust

Clissold

Sanson

Read

2006

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Abstract1. The Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera , develops following rainfall in an environment dominated by two host plants, the annual Dactyloctenium radulans and the perennial Astrebla lappacea. This simple system provides an ideal opportunity to explore the relationship between plant quality, individual herbivore performance and population responses. 2. We compared the two grasses chemically and structurally, and the behavioural, physiological and developmental responses of locust nymphs to these diets. 3. The grasses appeared to be of similar nutritional quality in terms of their chemical composition, although they differed in their physical properties. Early instar nymphs performed equally well on both grasses. However, older nymphs consuming D. radulans developed faster, survived better and attained a higher body weight compared with those consuming A. lappacea . 4. The differences in performance by the older nymphs related to the rate and ratio of supply of carbohydrate and protein from the two grasses, with less carbohydrate being assimilated from A. lappacea than D. radulans per unit of protein assimilated. Experiments showed that these differences arose as a direct result of the physical barrier to nutrient extraction provided by cell walls and indirectly through the amount of water contained within each cell. Paradoxically, nitrogen did not limit performance in the traditional sense through shortage, but rather its relative excess in A. lappacea appeared to impede intake and assimilation of adequate carbohydrate. 5. As a consequence, we predict that the length of time D. radulans remains available following rainfall will influence plaguing dynamics, although not for the reasons previously thought. 6. The results highlight the need to consider nutrient balance and actual rates of supply (rather than simply measuring the chemical composition of the plant) when attempting to understand herbivore nutritional ecology.

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Adaptations of locusts and grasshoppers to the low and variable rainfall of Australia

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 39 publications

References 9 publications

Effects of weak climatic variations on assemblages and life cycles of Orthoptera in North Algeria

Effects of weak climatic variations on assemblages and life cycles of Orthoptera in North Algeria

Landscape level patterns of grasshopper communities in Inner Mongolia: interactive effects of livestock grazing and a precipitation gradient

The paradoxical effects of nutrient ratios and supply rates on an outbreaking insect herbivore, the Australian plague locust

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