Serrano Laura Soledad, Pietrantuono Ana Laura, Laguna María Fabiana, Weigandt Mariana, Amadio María Emilia, Fernández-Arhex Valeria
IFAB (CONICET-INTA), EEA Bariloche, Modesta Victoria 4450 (8400) S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 3;15(1):682. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-83959-3.
Herbivorous insects occasionally produce population outbreaks that can alter the availability of food resources for other animals and cause economical losses. In the Patagonian steppe, wetlands are important ecosystems due to their environmental and ecological functions. Within these ecosystems, there is a wide diversity of phytophagous insects, among which two species of orthoptera are predominant: Dichroplus elongatus (usually considered a pest) and D. vittigerum. These species are native to Argentina and commonly feed on grasses and herbaceous plants present in wetlands and crops. To evaluate the consequences of grasshopper population outbreaks on wetlands, we conducted an interdisciplinary study that included field and laboratory experiments, along with the development of a mathematical model. We determined the plant cover of the most representative species included in the diet of grasshoppers in a specific Patagonian wetland and performed feeding experiments to determine their consumption rate and preferences. We employed this information to develop a spatially explicit stochastic model based on individuals. This model demonstrates that the potential impact of these species depends on both their densities and the wetland's vegetal biomass. Our results enabled us to define pest thresholds for various realistic scenarios. Conducting such studies is crucial for developing early warning strategies and promoting the conservation and management of natural environments.
食草昆虫偶尔会引发种群爆发，这可能会改变其他动物可获取的食物资源，并造成经济损失。在巴塔哥尼亚草原，湿地因其环境和生态功能而成为重要的生态系统。在这些生态系统中，植食性昆虫种类繁多，其中直翅目有两个物种占主导地位：长翅草螽（通常被视为害虫）和条纹草螽。这些物种原产于阿根廷，通常以湿地和农作物中的草类及草本植物为食。为了评估蝗虫种群爆发对湿地的影响，我们开展了一项跨学科研究，其中包括野外和实验室实验，以及一个数学模型的构建。我们确定了巴塔哥尼亚某一特定湿地中蝗虫食谱里最具代表性的植物种类的植被覆盖率，并进行了进食实验以确定它们的消耗率和偏好。我们利用这些信息构建了一个基于个体的空间明确随机模型。该模型表明，这些物种的潜在影响取决于它们的密度以及湿地的植物生物量。我们的研究结果使我们能够为各种实际情况确定害虫阈值。开展此类研究对于制定早期预警策略以及促进自然环境的保护和管理至关重要。
