Zoology Unit, Department of Biology of Animal Organisms, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group.
J Insect Sci. 2023 Mar 1;23(2). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iead011.
The sensitivity of grasshoppers to disturbance makes them useful bioindicators for land management. The current study compared the grasshopper communities of three fallow-lands at different levels of human pressure: heavily used land (Ongot), moderately used land (Zamakoe), and least-used land (Ngutadjap). Grasshoppers were sampled by nets, pitfall traps, and box quadrats. Their species composition was analyzed using species-richness, abundance, abundance distribution-model, occurrence, and diversity indexes. Species number was not very different between localities. However, the opening up of forests by human activities offers suitable environment for the development or proliferation of the pest grasshopper populations such as Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Eyprepocnemis plorans (Charpentier, 1825), and Catantops sylvestrisJago, 1984, which are adapted to the very common Asteraceae found in fallow lands. Native forest species [such as Mazaea granulosa Stål, 1876, Holopercna gerstaeckeri (Bolívar, 1890), Digentia fasciataRamme, 1929] were, generally absent or rare and were collected in only forest/fallow-land ecotones. Low abundance and low occurrence of ecotone species fitted the log-normal abundance distribution model. The grasshopper communities of the less degraded localities were quite similar, but different from the Ongot community. Forest management by reforestation, reduction of slash-and-burn agriculture, and wood cutting, would restore the original grasshopper assemblages and general environmental health.
蝗虫对干扰的敏感性使它们成为土地管理的有用生物指标。本研究比较了三种休耕地的蝗虫群落，这三种休耕地的人类压力程度不同：重度使用土地（Ongot）、中度使用土地（Zamakoe）和低度使用土地（Ngutadjap）。用网、陷阱和箱式四分法采集蝗虫。使用物种丰富度、丰度、丰度分布模型、出现和多样性指数来分析它们的物种组成。不同地点的物种数量差异不大。然而，人类活动对森林的开垦为害虫蝗虫种群的发展或繁殖提供了适宜的环境，如斑腿蝗属（Zonocerus variegatus）（Linnaeus，1758）、稻蝗属（Eyprepocnemis plorans）（Charpentier，1825）和绿尾大蚕蛾属（Catantops sylvestris）（Jago，1984），它们适应于休耕地中非常常见的菊科植物。本地森林物种[如 Mazaea granulosa Stål，1876，Holopercna gerstaeckeri（Bolívar，1890），Digentia fasciataRamme，1929]一般不存在或很少见，仅在森林/休耕地生态交错带采集到。生态交错带物种的低丰度和低出现率符合对数正态分布模型。受干扰较小的地点的蝗虫群落非常相似，但与 Ongot 群落不同。通过重新造林、减少刀耕火种农业和伐木进行森林管理，将恢复原始的蝗虫组合和一般的环境健康。
