Linkages of plant-soil interface habitat and grasshopper occurrence of typical grassland ecosystem

Abstract

How to understand the interactive influence of environmental changes on the total grasshopper density (TGD) becomes an urgent issue in grassland ecosystems. Large-scale studies are ideal for assessing the relative contributions of multiple factors on grasshopper community dynamics. Using data from 634 sites, linkages of community habitats (plant functional groups (PFGs), vegetative litter (VT) and soil types (ST)) and grasshopper occurrence were studied in a farming-pastoral zone across Inner Mongolia. Each of the three primary grassland ecosystem drivers influenced total grasshopper density. The absence of VT (VTabsence) can decrease the total grasshopper density by degrading the habitat conditions. Similarly, grasshopper communities prefer to feed on legumes and forbs rather than grasses due to the plant-trait variance in PFGs. Moreover, total grasshopper density was driven by complex interactions, caused by PFGs, soil types and vegetation litter. Our results improve the understanding of where grasshoppers might occur and provide helpful strategies to prevent the outbreak of grasshoppers.