Interactive effects of large herbivores and plant diversity on insect abundance in a meadow steppe in China

Zhu, Honghui; Wang, Deli; Guo, Qinfeng; Liu, Jun

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.07.008

Cited by 40 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Grasslands are managed ecosystems, and one of the key management tools is grazing by large herbivores that are recognised as exerting one of the greatest effects on grassland ecosystems (Bagchi & Ritchie, 2010;Gill, 2015). A growing number of studies have generated great interest in understanding the ecological effects of grazing on grasshoppers owing to food and habitat (Jonas & Joern, 2007;O'Neill et al, 2010;Zhu et al, 2015). Meanwhile, with further climate change still expected, precipitation patterns may be more spatially heterogeneous and less predictable than temperature and CO 2 concentration (Beier et al, 2012), and grassland ecosystems are expected to be especially vulnerable to altered precipitation (McCluney et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of grazing intensity and increased precipitation on a grasshopper assemblage (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a meadow steppe

Zhu

Zhang

et al. 2017

Ecological Entomology

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1. Grasshoppers are dominant herbivores in grassland ecosystems, and many studies have examined how grazing by large herbivores and precipitation patterns individually influence the dynamics of grassland grasshopper assemblages, but their combined effects are largely unknown.2. In this study, grazing intensities (ungrazed, moderate, and heavy) were manipulated and precipitation (ambient and increased amount of rainfall) altered in a field experiment to test the effects of grazing and altered precipitation on a grasshopper community in a meadow steppe in northeastern China.3. It was found that grasshopper species richness did not change according to different grazing intensities under ambient precipitation, but was significantly higher (by 38.1%) in moderate grazing intensities under increased precipitation. Grasshopper abundance increased considerably with increasing grazing intensities in ambient precipitation treatments; however, grasshopper abundance in heavy grazing intensities was significantly lower (by 32.9%) than in the other two grazing intensities under increased precipitation. Moreover, the responses of grasshopper abundance to grazing under altered precipitation were species-specific. 4. Grazing effects on grasshopper species diversity were mediated through the species richness and biomass of grasses (food resources), but the effects on grasshopper abundance were mediated through plant height (vegetation structure) under altered precipitation.5. These results suggest that appropriate grazing by large herbivores would be considered as beneficial management practices for maintaining grasshopper diversity and abundance under conditions of increased precipitation in grassland ecosystems. Additionally, greater attention should be paid to the population dynamics of different grasshopper species to better understand the responses of grasslands to grazing and altered precipitation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of grazing intensity and increased precipitation on a grasshopper assemblage (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a meadow steppe

Zhu

Zhang

et al. 2017

Ecological Entomology

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“…Insects were sampled four times in each plot during mid‐July and late‐September in 2014. To estimate insect species richness and abundance, we collected insects with a sweep net using a light muslin net (40 cm in diameter) along two 2‐m wide and 30‐m long parallel transects spaced 12 m apart (Schaffers et al ., ; Zhu et al ., , ). Transects were at least 2 m from the plot boundary to minimise edge effects.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Combining current knowledge, the effects of grazing by large herbivores and the effects of increased rainfall on plant species richness and biomass are inextricably linked to plant community characteristics (Bakker et al ., ; Liu et al ., ), with positive, neutral, or negative effects (Olff & Ritchie, ; Suttle et al ., ; Burns et al ., ; Alberti et al ., ). Given these possibilities, the effects of grazing and altered precipitation on plants are often direct, and such effects could cascade to insects (Zhu et al ., , ; Lenhart et al ., ; Van Klink et al ., ), because insects have been shown to have close relationships with plant communities (Knop et al ., ; Haddad et al ., ). However, almost nothing is known about how grazing and altered precipitation patterns interact to affect insect diversity by directly and indirectly changing their resources in grasslands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource‐mediated effects of grazing and irrigation on insect diversity in a meadow steppe

Zhu

Wang

et al. 2018

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Human activities and climate change are key drivers of biodiversity loss in natural ecosystems. In particular, a growing body of evidence shows that grazing and altered precipitation patterns strongly affect grassland plant and insect diversity respectively, but their combined effects and impact on trophic interactions are largely unknown. In this study, a field experiment was conducted with different grazing intensities and irrigation to examine how plant diversity responds to variation in grazing and precipitation, which in turn influences the diversity of herbivores and predators in insect communities in a meadow steppe. Overall, grazing and irrigation increased plant biomass and decreased plant diversity, except for non‐significant effects of irrigation treatments on plant diversity. Higher herbivore diversity in grazing treatments was mediated by plant diversity because path analysis revealed a positive relationship between plant and herbivore species richness. Increased predator diversity caused by grazing was mediated indirectly through changes in herbivore abundance. Our results indicate that plant‐mediated changes in herbivore diversity are consistent with the Resource Diversity Hypothesis, whereas changes in predator diversity correspond with the More Individuals Hypothesis. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing both direct and indirect effects of grazing and irrigation on the diversity of guilds at different trophic levels within an insect community. Furthermore, understanding mechanistic responses to such changes could help us to better account for biodiversity loss in the context of grazing and altered precipitation patterns.

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“…Finally, the distribution of grasshopper heterogeneity was directly influenced by herbivore foraging decisions (Wiggins, et al 2006;Zhu, et al 2015), and radically determined by the topography of Qilan mountains (Li, et al 2011;Li, et al 2013;Zhao, et al 2012), micro-climate and soil condition. The result much the same as others (Huang, et al 2017b;Yan and Chen 1998;Zhao, et al 2012;Zhao, et al 2009), was that horizontal distribution of two communities presented a flaky and plaque distribution pattern, with obvious heterosexual structure.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation richness, height, coverage and spatial distribution mediate grasshopper abundance in the upper reaches of Heihe River, China

Zhao

Zhang

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Interactive effects of large herbivores and plant diversity on insect abundance in a meadow steppe in China

Cited by 40 publications

References 51 publications

Impacts of grazing intensity and increased precipitation on a grasshopper assemblage (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a meadow steppe

Impacts of grazing intensity and increased precipitation on a grasshopper assemblage (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a meadow steppe

Resource‐mediated effects of grazing and irrigation on insect diversity in a meadow steppe

Vegetation richness, height, coverage and spatial distribution mediate grasshopper abundance in the upper reaches of Heihe River, China

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