Grasshoppers in steppe areas of the south-eastern West Siberian Plain: Centennial transformations of biodiversity

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to evaluate some general trends of species range shifts in the steppe areas of the south-eastern West Siberian Plain. Two sets of distribution data of grasshoppers are compared: (1) for the first half of 20th century and (2) for 1972 – 2019. A series of digital maps was generated by Map Info. Shifts of species distribution patterns are discussed. All grasshopper species may be split into three groups: (1) acridids without evident changes in their distribution; (2) species with local range boundaries shifted northwards and northeastwards; new colonies of such forms are usually found in the northern steppe and even in the forest-steppe and/or on the right side of the Ob River; (3) grasshoppers which became rare. Among them is the Siberian grasshopper, the very common pest in the first half of the 20th century. Some changes into grasshopper distribution may be associated with global warming, but others can be explained by regional and local variations in human activities. Extension, intensification, and changes of human activities may result in continuous elimination of some local populations. This means that the general strategy of management of acridid assemblages and populations should incorporate both data and technologies concerning rare species populations and new approaches to pest control and monitoring.