Orthoptera Diversity Research Articles

Urbanization reduces Orthoptera diversity and changes community structure towards mobile species

Abstract Urban land use is regarded as one major driver for insect declines worldwide. We investigated how Orthoptera diversity and traits respond to the urban matrix and local vegetation parameters. Orthoptera were collected using a combined method of box‐quadrat sampling and pitfall trapping. We sampled 42 dry grasslands in Berlin, Germany, along gradients of urbanization (measured as proportion of sealed surface in the surrounding of the sites) and connectivity. We further included patch size and local vegetation parameters (plant richness, total vegetation cover, herb cover, neophyte cover) in our models. Urbanization was the main driver explaining Orthoptera species richness, Simpson diversity and functional diversity (functional dispersion), which all decreased with increasing proportion of sealed surface in the surrounding. Urbanization also influenced the Orthoptera species composition. Thereby, functional trait analyses revealed that the urban matrix acted as a habitat filter sorting towards mobile species. However, responses of the most common species showed that the effects of the urban matrix and vegetation parameters were species specific. Our results demonstrate predominantly negative effects of urbanization on Orthoptera diversity. Nevertheless, urban environments can provide important habitats, in particular for mobile species. Even small and isolated patches of dry grasslands can contribute to Orthoptera conservation in cities.

Barcoding Fails to Delimit Species in Mongolian Oedipodinae (Orthoptera, Acrididae).

Mongolia, a country in central Asia, with its vast grassland areas represents a hotspot for Orthoptera diversity, especially for the Acrididae. For Mongolia, 128 Acrididae species have been documented so far, of which 41 belong to the subfamily Oedipodinae (band-winged grasshoppers). Yet, few studies concerning the distribution and diversity of Oedipodinae have been conducted in this country. Molecular genetic data is almost completely absent, despite its value for species identification and discovery. Even, the simplest and most used data, DNA barcodes, so far have not been generated for the local fauna. Therefore, we generated the first DNA barcode data for Mongolian band-winged grasshoppers and investigated the resolution of this marker for species delimitation. We were able to assemble 105 DNA barcode (COI) sequences of 35 Oedipodinae species from Mongolia and adjacent countries. Based on this data, we reconstructed maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenies. We, furthermore, conducted automatic barcode gap discovery and used the Poisson tree process (PTP) for species delimitation. Some resolution was achieved at the tribe and genus level, but all delimitation methods failed to differentiate species by using the COI region. This lack of resolution may have multiple possible reasons, which likely differ between taxa: the lack of resolution in the Bryodemini may be partially explained by their massive genomes, implying the potential presence of large numbers of pseudogenes, while within the Sphingonotini incomplete lineage sorting and incorrect taxonomy are more likely explanations for the lack of signal. Further studies based on a larger number of gene fragments, including nuclear DNA, are needed to distinguish the species also at the molecular level.

Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management.

The abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and subsequent succession are major threats to many open-adapted species and species-rich ecosystems. Viticulture on steep slopes has recently suffered from strong declines due to insufficient profitability, thus increasing the area of fallow land considerably. Changing cultivation systems from vertically oriented to modern vineyard terraces offers an opportunity to maintain management economically viable and thus reduces further abandonment. Hillside parallel terraces favor mechanization, and their embankments offer large undisturbed areas that could provide valuable habitats. We investigated the effects of vineyard abandonment, different vineyard management types (vertically oriented vs. terraced), and local parameters on Orthoptera diversity in 45 study sites along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. Our results show that woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced Orthoptera diversity at the local and landscape scale due to decreased habitat quality, especially for open-adapted species. In contrast, open inter-rows of actively managed vineyard types supported heat-adapted Caelifera species. On terrace embankments, extensive management and taller vegetation benefited Ensifera species, while short and mulched vegetation in vertically oriented vineyards favored the dominance of one single Caelifera species. Our results highlight the significance of maintaining viticultural management on steep slopes for the preservation of both open-adapted Orthoptera species and the cultural landscape.

Altitudinal gradients and species richness: A study on diversity of orthoptera in Nilgiris Shola Forests and Grasslands

Altitudinal gradients and species richness: A study on diversity of orthoptera in Nilgiris Shola Forests and Grasslands

Contribution to the study of the Orthoptera diversity through the alimentary diet of some waders in Algeria

Contribution to the study of the Orthoptera diversity through the alimentary diet of some waders in Algeria

Sixty years of work on Italy’s Orthopteroids biodiversity, the big data of Galvagni collection

BackgroundHistorical natural history collections are very important for the study of nature and environmental protection of the environment, these being the depository of essential information. The Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto holds two major Orthopteroid insect collections that make this Museum a landmark on Italian and Mediterranean Orthoptera diversity. Databasing the Galvagni Collection allows considerations on geographic and taxonomic coverage by specialist researchers.New informationDatabasing of the Galvagni Collection makes possible considerations on the late specialist research, geographic and taxonomic coverage.

Checklist and taxonomic updates in grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of central and southwestern Tunisia with new records and a key for species identification

Since the publication of Chopard's 1943 book, Les Orthopteroides d'Afrique du Nord, the diversity of Orthoptera in Tunisia has not been studied or prospected except for 20 publications. Furthermore, the classification of Orthoptera has changed since 1943 due to taxonomic and phylogenetic advances. To allow a full survey of the Tunisian grasshopper fauna, it is thus necessary first to correctly survey the biological diversity of grasshoppers in Tunisia, and second to have an updated taxonomic reference in order to describe this diversity and compare it with the grasshopper faunas in the other countries of the Maghreb. In the present paper, we propose an updated checklist and a key for the identification of Tunisian grasshoppers, based primarily on field sampling in central and southwestern Tunisia, and literature data for other Tunisian areas. Each species is documented with habitus photographs, geographical distribution, and type of habitat. In total, for the prospected areas, 75 species of Caelifera belonging to five families and 43 genera are listed, while 83 species were recorded up to now for the whole Tunisia. Among these 75 species, seven are newly recorded for Tunisia, i.e., Sphodromerus decoloratusFinot, 1894, Egnatioides coerulans (Krauss, 1893), Dociostaurus biskrensisMoussi & Petit, 2014, Aiolopus puissanti Defaut, 2005, Hilethera aeolopoides (Uvarov, 1922), Leptopternis rothschildiBolivar, 1913, and Tenuitarsus angustus (Blanchard, 1836); and one species is newly recorded for central and southwestern Tunisia, i.e., Oedipoda fuscocincta fuscocinctaLucas, 1849. We also confirm the presence of two species that were only tentatively recorded in Tunisia, i.e., Oedaleus senegalensis (Krauss, 1877) and Stenohippus mundus (Walker, 1871). DNA sequences (COI, ND2 and H3) are presented for 26 taxa, as a first step towards barcoding all Tunisian caeliferan taxa.

Leaving uncut refuges during meadow harvesting increases the functional diversity of Orthoptera

AbstractIn the past, insect species richness was high in Central European seminatural grasslands, which were characterized by low‐intensity land use. Currently, however, the hay in most of these grasslands is mechanically harvested, which negatively impacts insect biodiversity. One way to reduce this negative effect is to leave unmown patches as refuges. In the current research we evaluated the short‐term effects of leaving an unmown patch on the taxonomic and functional diversity of the Orthoptera assemblage in a meadow. We found that orthopteran species richness and abundance were significantly reduced by mowing, whether or not a patch was left uncut. In contrast, functional evenness, indicating distribution of species abundances in a niche space, was reduced by mowing only if the plot lacked an uncut refuge. Functional richness, indicating the amount of niche space occupied by species, was elevated if the plot had an uncut refuge. Larger species were negatively affected by mowing, while habitat specialists, mobile species and soil‐ovipositing species benefitted from it. We infer that the presence of an uncut patch increased the diversity of habitats available to orthopterans and maintained even distribution of species among niche space. In summary, leaving an unmown refuge in grasslands could increase the functional diversity of orthopterans, even if it does not preserve taxonomic diversity.

Orthoptera community shifts in response to land-use and climate change – Lessons from a long-term study across different grassland habitats

Semi-natural grasslands are among the most species-rich ecosystems worldwide. However, the maintenance of grassland biodiversity is seriously threatened by land-use change. Additionally, climate change is increasingly affecting biotic communities in grasslands. In this study, we examine Orthoptera community shifts in response to land-use and climate change in three different grassland habitats in a Central European low mountain landscape.Orthoptera strongly responded to environmental changes between 1994 and 2015. Both annual and summer temperatures increased during the study period. Apart from climatic changes, the studied habitats were unequally affected by land-use change. Due to the continuity of habitat management, habitat quality has not substantially changed in calcareous and mesic grasslands. However, abandonment has frequently contributed to habitat deterioration in wet grasslands. Orthoptera species richness in the well-managed grassland types increased, while it did not change in wet grasslands. The increase in species richness was mainly caused by an expansion of habitat generalists and mobile species in response to global warming. In comparison, the number of habitat specialists and species with limited dispersal ability did not change in any of the grassland types. Species-turnover rates were higher in mesic and wet grasslands. Accordingly, we detected an increase of the Community Temperature Index (CTI) in these habitats.The results of our study imply that the response of Orthoptera communities to global warming depend on the quality and availability of suitable habitats. Hence, sustaining traditional land use in semi-natural grasslands and the establishment of dense habitat networks is essential to promote Orthoptera diversity.

First data on the Orthoptera diversity of Poštak Mountain and its surroundings (Croatia)

SummaryThe insect fauna of the Dinarides is not widely studied. In 2013 and 2014, an orthopterological survey was conducted on the Poštak Mountain and its surroundings in the Lika region (Croatia), in order to sample the orthopteran communities of the prominent habitat types of the area. From 24 sampling sites, 80 Orthoptera species (44 Ensifera and 36 Caelifera) were collected, which amounts to almost half the known species in Croatia. One species, Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi, is recorded for the first time in the country.

Preliminary study on the diversity of Orthoptera from Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Brunei Darussalam, Borneo

The Orthoptera, comprising grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids, is diverse and species rich in tropical Southeast Asia, including the island of Borneo. However, not every part of Southeast Asia is equally well sampled and studied. This includes Brunei Darussalam, specifically at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) within the Ulu Temburong National Park. We present here an annotated and illustrated checklist of Orthoptera from the primary dipterocarp forest around Kuala Belalong based on three field trips in 2016 and 2017. We provide notes on their taxonomy (including how each species was identified) and natural history of species. In total, 72 species were recorded, representing eight of the 16 monophyletic orthopteran superfamilies. In total, 73.6% of all species recorded were singletons and doubletons, indicating that many species are probably rare. The collection led to the discovery of ten species new to science already published separately, with more expected to be described from pending material and confirmation. More species, including undescribed ones (at least four new species), are expected with continued sampling effort. Despite the 21 day-long surveying efforts from three trips around KBFSC, we believe that the species list provided here is non-exhaustive and only a preliminary one.

Disentangling the role of management, vegetation structure, and plant quality for Orthoptera in lowland meadows.

Seminatural grasslands provide habitats for various species and are important for biodiversity conservation. The understanding of the diverse responses of species and traits to different grassland management methods is therefore urgently needed. We disentangled the role of grassland management (fertilization and irrigation), vegetation structure (biomass, sward height) and plant quality (protein and fiber content) for Orthoptera communities in lowland hay meadows in Germany. We found vegetation structure to be the most important environmental category in explaining community structure of Orthoptera (species richness, total individuals, functional diversity and species composition). Intensively used meadows (fertilized, irrigated, high plant biomass) were characterized by assemblages with few species, low functional diversity, and low conservation value. Thereby, the relatively moderate fertilizer inputs in our study system of up to ∼75 kg N/ha/year reduced functional diversity of Orthoptera, while this negative effect of fertilization was not detectable when solely considering taxonomic aspects. We found strong support for a prominent role of plant quality in shaping Orthoptera communities and especially the trait composition. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of considering both taxonomic and functional components (functional diversity) in biodiversity research and we suggest a stronger involvement of plant quality measures in Orthoptera studies.

The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value.

With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We provide species’ habitat occurrences within the protected area and use information on the conservation status and the Iberian distribution of each documented species to discuss the importance of Castro Verde SPA for Orthoptera conservation. The data presented here sheds new light on Castro Verde SPA biodiversity and emphasizes the inclusion of this area in the conservation of Orthoptera diversity, particularly in the protection of threatened endemic species.

How are arthopod communities structured and why are they so diverse? Answers from Mediterranean mountains using hierarchical additive partitioning

Mountains are complex ecosystems supporting a great variety of taxa. Here, we explored the diversity patterns of arthropods in two mountains, pinpointing the spatial scale that accounts most for overall diversity variation, using an additive partitioning framework. Butterflies and Orthoptera were sampled in Rodopi (2012) and Grammos (2013) mountains. Diversity was partitioned into five hierarchical levels (mountain, elevational zone, habitat, transect and plot). We compared the estimated diversity values for each level to the respective permuted values expected by chance, for all species, as well as for species identified as “rare” or “common”. At broader spatial levels, the variation in total diversity was attributed to the beta diversity component: mountains accounted for 20.94 and 26.25% of butterfly and Orthoptera diversity, and elevational zones accounted for 28.94 and 35.87% respectively. At finer spatial scales, beta diversity was higher than expected by chance in terms of the Shannon index. The type of habitat was found to play a significant role only for rare orthopterans. Finally, common species were recognized for shaping overall species diversity. We highlight the importance of the spatial levels of elevation zone and then mountain position in conservation planning, due to the greater beta diversity recorded at this scale as compared to habitat or more finite scales. Monitoring programs might need to adapt different strategies with respect to the focal organisms, and consider patterns of common rather than rare species that found to drive the patterns of the entire community.

Diversity of Orthoptera (Insecta) fauna from Gomerda Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh, India

The paper deals with the study of faunal diversity of Orthoptera of Gomerda Wildlife Sanctuary, Raigarh District of Chhattisgarh. Altogether 47 species pertaining to 44 genera under seven families are reported for the first time from the sanctuary. Two species, i.e., Phonarellus (Phonarellus) erythrocephalus erythrocephalus (Serville, 1839) and Teleogryllus (Macroteleogryllus) mitratus (Burmeister, 1838) are new additions to the Chhattisgarh State.

Diversity of Orthoptera (Insecta) fauna of Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India

The paper presents the distributional record of the Orthoptera fauna of Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India. Thirty-three species pertaining to 30 genera under five families are reported. The habitus photographs and map is provided for the first time.

A contribution to the knowledge of Orthoptera diversity from Peninsular Malaysia: Bukit Larut, Perak.

Bukit Larut is a hill station at the southern tip of the Bintang Range, Perak of Peninsular Malaysia. While the biodiversity of Bukit Larut has been previously documented, its entomofauna, including the Orthoptera, remains relatively unknown. A faunistic survey was conducted in 2015 as part of the continuous exploration of the highlands in Malay Peninsula. An annotated species list of 71 (24 Caelifera and 47 Ensifera) species of Orthoptera from ten families (five from each order) is presented here. While the coverage of lineages in the orthopteran phylogeny is well-represented, the diversity in Bukit Larut is dominated by the three main families: Acrididae, Gryllidae and Tettigoniidae. Eight new locality records for Bukit Larut and/or Peninsular Malaysia and potential new species awaiting description highlight that the orthopteran diversity in Bukit Larut is not exhaustive.

Both local and landscape factors determine plant and Orthoptera diversity in the semi-natural grasslands of Transylvania, Romania

Semi-natural grassland supports a large proportion of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe, however, it is continuing to be destroyed or degraded. In addition to the clear role of local management in these processes, there is increasing evidence for wider landscape-scale effects on species richness and community composition of plants and animals. Most of this evidence comes from studies in highly altered western European landscapes with only fragments of remaining semi-natural grassland. In contrast, Eastern European countries such as Romania still contain large areas of semi-natural grassland, but this habitat is threatened by agricultural intensification and homogenization. We analyzed vascular plant and Orthoptera communities from species-rich pastures in Southern Transylvania, Romania, against a range of local and landscape factors. Species richness of plants had a highly significant positive relationship with landscape heterogeneity. Orthoptera species richness and abundance were negatively correlated with plant species richness, and increased with proportion of grassland in the landscape and local vegetation height. The results suggest that large and species-rich grassland communities can be significantly affected by both local and landscape scale land use changes, but effects can vary within and between taxonomic groups. Conservation measures such as agri-environment schemes should therefore seek to address landscape scale processes better, promoting a range of low-intensity land use practices in order to support a variety of landscape types.

The effects of grassland management and aspect on Orthoptera diversity and abundance: site conditions are as important as management

Calcareous grasslands represent local hotspots of biodiversity in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. They support a great number of rare species which are adapted to these xerothermic habitats. Due to massive changes in land use, calcareous grasslands have become a rare habitat type and their conservation has been given a high priority in the habitats directive of the European Union. It is well known that grassland management may affect biodiversity substantially. However, the quality of calcareous grasslands is also influenced by abiotic conditions, such as aspect (i.e. sun exposure), which affects the local mesoclimate. We studied the combined effects of aspect and grassland management on Orthoptera diversity on 16 sites in Central Germany, in an unbalanced crossed design with three factors: aspect, management type and management intensity. For both response variables (diversity and abundance) we obtained a similar pattern. South-facing pastures maintained a greater diversity than north-facing pastures, but both had a greater diversity than extensively used meadows. Intensively used meadows maintained the lowest diversity and abundances. A multivariate analysis revealed that the abundance of rare Orthoptera species correlated with bare ground cover and forb cover, both of which were greatest at south-facing pastures. Our results suggest that grazing is a more suitable management for maintaining a high biodiversity in calcareous grasslands than mowing. Moreover, the mesoclimate (in this studied measured by its surrogate: aspect) is a crucial factor determining species richness and needs to be considered in reserve planning.

Impact of wild ungulate grazing on Orthoptera abundance and diversity in subalpine grasslands

Abstract. 1. Grasslands cover approximately 40% of the Earth’s terrestrial landscape, supporting large communities of vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores. Orthoptera play an important role, consuming relatively large amounts of biomass. Their occurrence can be strongly affected by habitat diversity and structure, which can be shaped by large herbivores. Several studies have focused on the impact of livestock on Orthoptera communities, but little is known about how wild ungulates influence the abundance and diversity of these insects in grassland ecosystems.2. We studied Orthoptera abundance and diversity in subalpine grasslands in the Swiss Alps, where grazing by red deer and chamois has created a mosaic of short‐ and tall‐grass patches. Data on vegetation structure, habitat diversity and plant nitrogen (N) content allowed us to consider how these parameters affected the occurrence of Orthoptera at our study sites.3. We found a total of nine Orthoptera species with an average density of 2.6 individuals m−2. Neither Orthoptera abundance nor diversity differed between short‐ and tall‐grass patches created by large ungulates. Both Orthoptera abundance and diversity were, however, positively influenced by increasing vegetation height, but negatively by increasing habitat diversity within patches. Increasing plant N content promoted a more even spread of species within the insect assemblage on short‐ but not on tall‐grass patches.4. Large‐scale habitat alteration by wild ungulates had no direct effect on the abundance and diversity of Orthoptera. However, we observed that they indirectly affected Orthoptera abundance and diversity by altering plant N content and the structure of the habitat at small scales.