Abstract
Invertebrates are the main components of faunal diversity in grasslands, playing substantial roles in ecosystem processes including nutrient cycling and pollination. Grassland invertebrate communities are heavily dependent on the plant diversity and production within a given system. Climate change models predict alterations in precipitation patterns, both in terms of the amount of total inputs and the frequency, seasonality and intensity with which these inputs occur, which will impact grassland productivity. Given the ecological, economic and biodiversity value of grasslands, and their importance globally as areas of carbon storage and agricultural development, it is in our interest to understand how predicted alterations in precipitation patterns will affect grasslands and the invertebrate communities they contain. Here, we review the findings from manipulative and observational studies which have examined invertebrate responses to altered rainfall, with a particular focus on large-scale field experiments employing precipitation manipulations. Given the tight associations between invertebrate communities and their underlying plant communities, invertebrate responses to altered precipitation generally mirror those of the plants in the system. However, there is evidence that species responses to future precipitation changes will be idiosyncratic and context dependent across trophic levels, challenging our ability to make reliable predictions about how grassland communities will respond to future climatic changes, without further investigation. Thus, moving forward, we recommend increased consideration of invertebrate communities in current and future rainfall manipulation platforms, as well as the adoption of new technologies to aid such studies.
Highlights
Grasses cover more of the earth’s surface than any other vegetation type (Tscharntke and Greiler, 1995; Wang and Fang, 2009) and are often of high economic, ecological and biodiversity value, providing forage for livestock and high levels of carbon storage (Lee et al, 2014; Lenhart et al, 2015)
There has been no synthesis of the relevant literature examining insect responses to precipitation changes, making a review of these studies timely. In this mini-review, we look at the effects of altered precipitation patterns – including reductions and increases in average rainfall, and changes in rainfall frequency – on grassland invertebrates and the plant communities they inhabit
We focus on findings from field-based/observational studies and precipitation manipulation experiments conducted in grasslands, including steppe and savannah habitats
Summary
Grasses cover more of the earth’s surface than any other vegetation type (Tscharntke and Greiler, 1995; Wang and Fang, 2009) and are often of high economic, ecological and biodiversity value, providing forage for livestock and high levels of carbon storage (Lee et al, 2014; Lenhart et al, 2015). Plant community composition plays a bottom-up role in structuring arthropod communities (Perner et al, 2005; Hertzog et al, 2016), as do abiotic factors like temperature and water availability (e.g., Bale et al, 2002) Both grassland plant and invertebrate communities can be directly impacted by alterations in climate. There has been no synthesis of the relevant literature examining insect responses to precipitation changes, making a review of these studies timely In this mini-review, we look at the effects of altered precipitation patterns – including reductions and increases in average rainfall, and changes in rainfall frequency – on grassland invertebrates and the plant communities they inhabit. We focus on findings from field-based/observational studies and precipitation manipulation experiments conducted in grasslands, including steppe and savannah habitats
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
