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Zanthoxylum bungeanum ( Rutaceae) is one of the most important economic plants in some areas of China, because Z. bungeanum could be used to mitigate water and soil loss through the reforestation of barren hillsides where cultivation and tree removal has occurred. The mechanisms of insect community dynamics and pest insect outbreaks can be identified through their relationship with environmental factors such as altitude, temperature, humidity and insect community characteristics.This study investigated the relationship between the environmental variables and insect communities in Z. bungeanum gardens near the Jinshajiang River, Yongshan County, Yunnan, China. Insect communities were sampled from seven different gardens at varying altitudes ( low 450-750 m; medium 750-1300 m; high 1300-1550 m) from March to September, 2008. All data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance ( MANOVA) and the level of correlation using the Gray-system theory. The results were: 1) Insect community structure varied with altitude, suggesting altitude is a key factor influencing insect communities in Z. bungeanum gardens; 2) Increases in altitude resulted in higher species diversity, evenness, richness, S s / S i ( the number of species divided by the number of individuals) and S n / S p ( the number of natural enemy species divided by the number of phytophagous species) at lower altitudes followed by a decline at higher

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