Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2020-01-21
Page range: 16-33
Abstract views: 2914
PDF downloaded: 2

Diversity, abundance and distribution of grasshopper species (Orthoptera: Acrididea) in three different types of vegetation with different levels of anthropogenic disturbances in the Littoral Region of Cameroon

Zoology Unit, Graduate School of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon; College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, China
##plugins.generic.jatsParser.article.authorBio##
×

YETCHOM-FONDJO JEANNE AGRIPPINE

Department of Animal Biology and Physiology ; College of Life Sciences; PhD student
Laboratory of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde I
##plugins.generic.jatsParser.article.authorBio##
×

KEKEUNOU - SÉVILOR

Department of Animal Biology; Associate Professor
Zoology Unit, Graduate School of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon
##plugins.generic.jatsParser.article.authorBio##
×

KENNE - MARTIN

Department of Animal Biology and Physiology; Associate Professor
Zoology Unit, Graduate School of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon
##plugins.generic.jatsParser.article.authorBio##
×

MISSOUP ALAIN DIDIER

Department of Animal Biology and Physiology; Lecturer
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, China
##plugins.generic.jatsParser.article.authorBio##
×

SHENG-QUAN XU

College of Life Sciences; Full Professor
Grasshopper diversity abundance distribution bioindicator ever-green forests.

Abstract

Grasshoppers have been identified as excellent monitors of landscape use. Despite their importance, their composition and distribution in the highly disturbed Littoral Cameroon is still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of human activities on diversity, abundance and distribution of grasshopper species in the Littoral region of Cameron. We investigated three types of vegetation differing remarkably on the level of anthropogenic impact (farmlands, fallows and forests), using sweep netting. The eight non-parametric estimators for specific richness, abundance, α and β diversity indices and species abundance distribution models, were used to compare the structure of communities among vegetation. Overall, 38 species belonging to three families and ten subfamilies were recorded. The Acrididae was the most diverse family. The species richness, abundance and diversity were higher in farmlands than in fallows and in forests. Five species occurred exclusively in farmlands, one in fallows and four in forests. Eyprepocnemis plorans, Coryphosima stenoptera, Serpusia opacula were overall the most abundant species respectively in cultivated farms, fallows and forests. Species abundance distribution fitted the Motomura model in all sites. Serpusia opacula is considered as a useful indicator since its presence and abundance significantly depend on the rate of forest naturalness. The farmlands were characterized by short vegetation while the fallows and forests were dominated by tall grasses and tall trees respectively. Anthropogenic disturbances promote the species richness, diversity and abundance of open meadow species, while it is detrimental to forest species which are sensitive, specialized and have limited dispersal abilities.

 

Key words: Grasshopper, diversity, abundance, distribution, bioindicator

References

  1. Ali S., Panhwar W. A., Riffat S., Mehmood S. A. & Wagan M. S. 2017. First record of the genus Mermiria Stål with its species Mermiria bivittata (Serville, 1838) from Pakistan (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 5(1): 279–281.

    Anderson A. N., Ludwig J. A., Lowe L. M. & Rentz C. F. 2001. Grasshopper biodiversity and bioindicators inAustralian tropical savannas: Responses to disturbance in Kakadu National Park. Australian Ecology 26: 213–222.

    https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1442-9993.2001.01106.x

    Azam I., Afsheen S., Zia A., Javed M., Saeed R., Kaleem-Sarwar M. & Munir B. 2015. Evaluating Insects as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Contamination and Accumulation near Industrial Area of Gujrat, Pakistan. BioMed Research International 11 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/942751

    Banjo A. D., Lawal O. A. & Songonuga E. A. 2006. The nutritional value of fourteen species of edible insects in Southwestern Nigeria. African journal of Biotechnology 5(3): 298–301.

    Barataud J. 2005. Orthoptères et milieu littoraux : influence de la gestion des habitats herbacés sur les resources trophiques et enjeux pour la biodiversité. BTS Gestion des Espaces Naturels.

    Bazelet C. S. 2011. Grasshopper Bioindicators of Effective Large-Scale Ecological Networks. [dissertation]. University of Stellenbosch: South Africa.

    Bazelet C. S. & Samways M.W. 2011. Identifying grasshopper bioindicators for habitat quality assessment of ecological network. Ecological Indicators 11(5): 1259–1269.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.01.005

    Bazelet C. S. & Samways M. J. 2014. Habitat quality of grassland fragments affects dispersal ability of a mobile grasshopper, Ornithacris cyanea (Orthoptera: Acrididae). African Entomology 22: 714–725.

    https://doi.org/10.4001/003.022.0405

    Bharamal D. L. & Koli J. 2014. Grasshoppers as multidisciplinary model organism in changing environment. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences 3: 372–380.

    Bownes A., King A. & Nongogo A. 2011. Published. Pre-release studies and release of the grasshopper Cornops aquaticum in South Africa – a new biological control agent for water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes pp. 3–13. In: XIII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, September 11-16, 2011, Waikoloa, Hawaii.

    Branson D. H, Joern A. & Sword G. A. 2006. Sustainable management of insect herbivores in grassland ecosystem: new perspectives in grassland control. Bioscience 56: 743–755.

    https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2006)56[743:SMOIHI]2.0.CO;2

    Brandson B. H. & Sword G. A. 2010. An experimental analysis of grasshopper community responses to fire and livestock grazing in a northern mixed grass prairie. Environnemental Entomology 34: 1109–1113.

    Capinera J. L., Scherer C. W. & Simkins J. B. 1997. Habitat associations of grasshoppers at the MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center, Lake Placid, Florida. Florida Entomologist 80: 253–261.

    https://doi.org/10.2307/3495558

    Chakravoty J., Ghosh S. & Meyer-Rochow V. B. 2011. Practices of entomophagy and entomotherapy by members of the nyishi and Galo tribes, two ethnic groups of the State of Arunachal Pradesh (North – East India). Journal of ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 7: 5 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-7-5

    Coetzee J. A., Hill M. P., Byrne M. J. & Bownes A. 2011. A review on the biological control programmes on Eichhornia crassipes (C.Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae), Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitch (Salviniaceae), Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae), Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. (Haloragaceae) and Azolla filiculoides Lam. (Azollaceae) in South Africa. African Entomology 19: 451–468.

    https://doi.org/10.4001/003.019.0202

    Colwell R.K. 2013. EstimateS : Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 9.1.0. Persistent URL<purl.oclc.org/estimates>.

    Costa M. K. M., Luciano-De Martins L. P., Zefa E., Redü D. R., Morselli J. P. & De-Mello F. D. A. 2015. Checklist of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) from Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, State of Amazonas, Brazil, and new records for the country. Journal of Orthoptera Research 24(2): 59–65.

    https://doi.org/10.1665/034.024.0204

    Dajoz R. 1982. Précis d’écologie. Edition Gautiets Villars, Paris, 503 pp.

    Dennis P., Young M. R. & Gordon I. J. 1998. Distribution and abundance of small insects and arachnids in relation to structural heterogeneity of grazed, indigenous grasslands. Ecological Entomology 23: 253–264.

    https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2311.1998.00135.x

    Descamps M. 1977. Monographie des Thericleidae (Orthoptera Acridomorpha Eumastacoidea). Annales du Musé Royal de l’Afrique Centrale de Tervuren, Sciences Zoologiques, 216: viii+475 p.

    Dirsh V. M. 1965. The african genera of Acridoidea. Cambridge University Press for the Anti-Locust Research Center, London, xiii+579 p.

    Dirsh V. M. 1970. Acridoidea of the Congo (Orthoptera). Annales du Musé Royale de l’Afrique Centrale (Série Sciences Zoologiques), Tervuren, 182: “6”+ 605 pp.

    Elela S. A., ElSayed W. & Nakamura K. 2012. Incidence of orthopteran species (Insecta: Orthoptera) among different sampling sites within Satoyama area, Japan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4: 2476–2480.

    https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2775.2476-80

    Elsayed W. M. & Nakamura K. 2010. Abundance, diversity and distribution of the ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a Satoyama Valle in Kanazawa, Japan, with special reference to the body size and feeding categories. Far Eastern Entomologists 205: 1–20.

    Fartmann T., Behrens M. & Loritz H. 2008. Orthopteran communities in the conifer-broadleaved woodland zone of the Russian Far East. University of Münster, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Department of Community Ecology, Robert-Koch-Str. European Journal of Entomology, 105: 673–680.

    https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2008.091

    Fartmann T., Krämer B., Stelzner F. & Poniatowsky D. 2012. Orthoptera as ecological indicators for succession in steppe grassland. Ecological Indicators 20: 337–344.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.03.002

    Fielding D. J. & Brusven M. A. 1993. Grasshopper Orthoptera: Acrididae) community composition and ecological disturbance on southern Inaho rangeland. Environmental Entomology 22: 71–81.

    https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/22.1.71

    Fielding D. J. & Bruseven M. A. 1995. Grasshopper densities on grazed and ungrazed rangeland under drought conditions in Southern Idaho. Great Basin Naturalist 55: 352–358.

    Grime J. P. 2001. Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystems Properties, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK.

    Hoare A. L. 2007. The use of non-timber forest products in the Congo–basin: constraints and opportunities. United Kingdom: The rainforest foundation.

    Joern A. 1986. Experimental study of avian predation on coexisting grasshopper population (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a sand hill. Oikos 46: 243–249.

    https://doi.org/10.2307/3565473

    Joshi P. C., Lockwood A., Vashishth N. & Singh A. 1999. Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) community in a moist deciduous forest in India. Journal of Orthoptera Research 8: 17–23.

    https://doi.org/10.2307/3503420

    Kati V., Mani P. & Von-Holversen O. 2006. Human land use threatens endemic wetland species: the case of Chorthippus locustris (La Greca and Messina 1975) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Epirus, Greece. Journal of Insect Conservation 10: 65–74.

    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-005-2642-y

    Kato M. 2001. Satoyama and biodiversity conservation: ‘Satoyama’ as important insect habitats. Global Environment Research 5: 135–149.

    Kekeunou S. 2009. Richesse et diversité spécifique de l’acridofaune des zones dégradées et non dégradées de la zone de forêt humide du sud Cameroun. Rapport de recherche postdoctorale. Faculté des Sciences, Université de Yaoundé I : Cameroun ; Faculté de Biologie, Université « Alexandru Ioan Cuza » IASI: Romanie, 12 pp.

    Kekeunou S., Membou D. T., Tamesse J. L. & Oumarou N. C. 2017. Acrididea diversity in degraded areas of higher mountains in west Cameroon. African Entomology 25: 239–243.

    https://doi.org/10.4001/003.025.0239

    Ladeji O., Solomon M. & Maduka H. 2003. Proximate chemical analysis of Zonocerus variegatus (Giant grasshopper). Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology 14(1): 42–45.

    Letouzey R. 1985. Phytogeographic map of Cameroon on 1/500000 n°4, IRA-ICIV, University of Toulouse, France, 240 pp.

    Longino J. T. 2000. What to do with the data. In: Agosti. D., Majer, J.D., Alonso, L.E. & Schultz, T.R. (Eds) Ants: Standard Methods for Measuring and Monitoring Biodiversity. 186–203. Smithonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Lubertazzi, D. & Tschinkel, W.

    Lövei G. L. & Sunderland K. D. 1996. Ecology and behavior of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Annual Review of Entomology 41: 231–256.

    https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.41.010196.001311

    Marini L., Fontana P., Scotton M. & Klimek S. 2008. Vascular plant and Orthoptera diversity in relation to grassland management and landscape composition in the European Alps. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45: 361–370.

    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01402.x

    Mayya S., Sreepada K. S. & Hegde M. J. 2005. Survey of short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae) from Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka. Zoos’ Print Journal 20: 1977–1979.

    https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1068.1977-9

    Olsson E. G. A., Austrheim G. & Grenne S. N. 2000. Landscape change patterns in mountains, land use and environmental diversity, Mid-Norway 1960–1993. Landscape Ecology 15: 155–170.

    https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008173628016

    OumarouNgoute C., Kekeunou S., Lecoq M., Nzoko Fiemapong A. R., Um Nyobe P. C. A., & Bilong Bilong C. F. 2019. Effect of anthropogenic pressures on grasshopper species (orthoptera: Acrididea) diversity from the forests of three localities of southern Cameroon. Journal of Orthoptera Research (in press).

    Risser P. G., Birney E. C., Blocker H. D., May S. W., Parton W. J. & Wiens J. A. 1981. The True Prairie Ecosystem. Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company, Stroudsburg, Penn, 557 pp.

    Ronghang R. & Ahmed R. 2010. Edible insects and their conservation strategy in Karbi Anglong District of Assam, North East India. The Bioscan 2: 515–521.

    Saha H. K. & Haldar P. 2009. Acridids as indicators of disturbance in dry deciduous forest of West Bengal in India. Biodiversity Conservation 18: 2343–2350.

    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-009-9591-9

    Saha H. K., Sarkar A. & Haldar P. 2011. Effect of Anthropgenic disturbance on the diversity and composition of the acridid fauna of sites in the dry deciduous forest of West Bengal, India. Journal of Biodiversity and Ecological Sciences 1(4): 313–320.

    Samways M. J 1997. Conservation biology of Orthopteran In: Gangwer, S.K, Muralirangan, Mc., Muralirangan, M. (eds) the Bionomics of Grasshopper Katydids and their kin CAB international Walligford 481–496 pp.

    Scott J. A., French N. R. & Leetham J. W. 1979. Pattern of consumption in grasslands. In: French, N.R. (ed.) Perspectives in Grassland Ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York, 89–105 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6182-7_6

    Seino R. A., Dongmo T. I., Ghogomu R. T., Kekeunou S., Chifon R. N. & Manjelic Y. 2013. An inventory of short-horned grasshoppers in the Menoua Division, West Region of Cameroon. Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America 4: 291–299.

    https://doi.org/10.5251/abjna.2013.4.3.291.299

    Song H. 2010. Grasshopper Systematics: Past, Present and Future. Journal of Orthoptera Research 19: 57–68.

    https://doi.org/10.1665/034.019.0112

    Song H., Mariño-Pérez R., Woller D. A. & Cigliano M. M. 2018. Evolution, Diversification and Biogeography of Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 2(4): 1–25.

    https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixy008

    Suchel B. 1987. The climats of Cameroon [dissertation]. France: University of Bordeaux III.

    Sun T., Liu Z. Y., Qin L. P. & Long R. J. 2015. Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Community Composition in the Rangeland of the Northern Slopes of the Qilian Mountains in Northwestern China. Journal of Insect Science 15 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieu171

    Sunose T. 1992. A comparison of carabid and silphid assemblages in Minuma Green belt. Tokyo (In Japanese). Nature & Insects 27: 13–15.

    Wandji A. C., Kekeunou S., Mbadjoun-Nzike M., Simeu-Noutchoum A. & Fomena A. 2019. Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididea) assemblages in forests and savanna areas in Center, West and South-west regions of Cameroon. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 12(1): 17–32.

    https://doi.org/10.12976/jib/2019.12.1.3

    Yadav R. S. & Kumar D. 2017. Biodiversity of pyrgomorphid grasshoppers from eastern uttar Pradesh. Journal of Experimental Zoology of India 20(1): 1467–1470.

    Zhang Z. Q. 2011. Animal Biodiversity: an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 1– 237.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.1