Fashing Peter J, Nguyen Nga, Fashing Norman J
Department of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton, 800 N. State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA.
Primates. 2010 Jul;51(3):193-7. doi: 10.1007/s10329-010-0194-6. Epub 2010 Mar 24.
Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) outbreaks have occurred repeatedly throughout recorded history in the Horn of Africa region, devastating crops and contributing to famines. In June 2009, a desert locust swarm invaded the Guassa Plateau, Ethiopia, a large and unusually intact Afroalpine tall-grass ecosystem, home to important populations of geladas (Theropithecus gelada), Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis), thick-billed ravens (Corvus crassirostris), and other Ethiopian or Horn of Africa endemics. During the outbreak and its aftermath, we observed many animals, including geladas, ravens, and a wolf, feeding on locusts in large quantities. These observations suggest surprising flexibility in the normally highly specialized diets of geladas and wolves, including the potential for temporary but intensive insectivory during locust outbreaks. To our knowledge, Guassa is the highest elevation site (3,200-3,600 m) at which desert locusts, which require temperatures >20 degrees C for sustained flight, have been reported. Continued monitoring will be necessary to determine whether the June 2009 outbreak was an isolated incident or part of an emerging pattern in the Ethiopian Highlands linked to global warming. The intensive consumption of desert locusts by geladas, wolves, and ravens during the outbreak at Guassa raises concerns about pesticide-based locust control strategies and potential unintended adverse effects on endemic and endangered wildlife.
在有记录的历史中，沙漠蝗（Schistocerca gregaria）在非洲之角地区反复暴发，摧毁庄稼并导致饥荒。2009年6月，一群沙漠蝗侵入了埃塞俄比亚的瓜萨高原，这是一个面积广大且异常完整的非洲高山高草生态系统，是狮尾狒（Theropithecus gelada）、埃塞俄比亚狼（Canis simensis）、厚嘴渡鸦（Corvus crassirostris）以及其他埃塞俄比亚或非洲之角特有物种的重要栖息地。在蝗灾暴发期间及其过后，我们观察到许多动物，包括狮尾狒、渡鸦和一只狼，大量捕食蝗虫。这些观察结果表明，狮尾狒和狼通常高度专业化的饮食具有惊人的灵活性，包括在蝗虫暴发期间有临时但大量捕食昆虫的可能性。据我们所知，瓜萨是有报道的沙漠蝗出现的最高海拔地点（3200 - 3600米），而沙漠蝗持续飞行需要温度高于20摄氏度。有必要持续监测以确定2009年6月的暴发是孤立事件还是埃塞俄比亚高地与全球变暖相关的新出现模式的一部分。在瓜萨蝗灾期间，狮尾狒、狼和渡鸦大量捕食沙漠蝗，这引发了人们对基于杀虫剂的蝗虫控制策略以及对特有和濒危野生动物潜在意外不利影响的担忧。
