The impact of megaherbivore grazers on grasshopper communities via grassland conversion in a savannah ecosystem

Grasshoppers are sensitive indicators of the state of disturbance of grassland ecosystems. This study examined the grasshopper communities inside a game reserve, comparing those found on frequently grazed areas with communities inside plots that exclude megaherbivores. The vegetation inside the protected plots was found to differ from the openly grazed areas in terms of grass height and aerial cover, but not in % greenness or richness of forb species. Grass species varied with locality rather than grazing impact. Total numbers of grasshoppers did not differ significantly between the two contrasting areas (100.2 in vs 93.5 out), however grasshopper species richness did, with the outside, short-grass plots having on average 17 different species, and the inside tall-grass plots a higher mean of 24.5. Grasshopper communities responded primarily to grass height and vegetation cover, but not to grass species or greenness of vegetation.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Currie, Gwen

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Picker, Michael D
• Bond, William J

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24945

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24945