Effect of Seasonal Grazing on Ground-Dwelling Insect Communities in the Desert Steppe of Ningxia.

ABSTRACT: To investigate the effects of seasonal grazing on ground-dwelling insect communities in desert steppe, this study conducted a controlled experiment in the desert steppe of Yanchi County, Ningxia, during 2022-2023. Five grazing regimes were established: spring-summer grazing (Sp+Su), spring-autumn grazing (Sp+Au), summer-autumn grazing (Su+Au), year-round continuous grazing (Annual), and no grazing (Control, CK). Insects were collected using pitfall traps and categorized into herbivorous and predatory functional groups. Combined with monitoring of vegetation community structure, we analyzed the regulatory mechanisms of grazing on insect diversity. The results showed that different grazing regimes had significantly divergent effects on herbivorous and predatory insects. Herbivorous insect di

SUBMITTER: Shi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12471267 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature