Plant composition changes in a small-scale community have a large effect on the performance of an economically important grassland pest.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The grasshopper Oedaleus asiaticus Bey-Bienko (Acrididae: Oedipodinae) is a dominant and economically important pest that is widely distributed across the Mongolian plateau. This herbivore pest causes major damage to the grassland of the Inner Mongolian steppe in China. The population dynamics of herbivore pests is affected by grassland management practices (e.g., mowing and heavy livestock grazing) that alter plant community structures and stoichiometric characteristics. For example, O. asiaticus outbreak is closely associated with plant preference changes caused by nitrogen loss from heavy livestock grazing. However, the manner by which small-scale variation in vegetation affects grasshopper performance and promotes outbreak is poorly characterized. To address this que

SUBMITTER: Qin X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6727414 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature