Biodiv Sci ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (6): 25021.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2025021  cstr: 32101.14.biods.25021

• Original Papers: Ecosystem Diversity • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cascading effects of plant diversity-grasshoppers-carabids and their impacts on primary productivity across grassland types of Ningxia, China

Quanfeng Yang1(), Yanjie Tang1, Haijun Xiao1(), Ying Wang2(), Rong Zhang2(), Fang Ouyang3,*()(), Shuhua Wei2,*()()   

  1. 1. School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Institute of Plant Protection, Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China
    3. State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
  • Received:2025-01-13 Accepted:2025-05-28 Online:2025-06-20 Published:2025-07-29
  • Contact: Fang Ouyang, Shuhua Wei
  • Supported by:
    Ningxia Sci-Tech Innovation Demonstration Program of High-Quality Agricultural Development and Ecological Conservation(NGSB-2021-14-05);Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(BLX202327);Research Special Project of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration-Chinese Academy of Sciences National Park Research Institute(KFJ-STS-ZDTP-2022-001)

Abstract:

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the cascading effects of plant diversity-grasshoppers-carabids across four types of temperate grasslands in Ningxia, China, and to assess their impacts on primary productivity.

Methods: A total of 42 sampling plots were established across four grassland types: Temperate meadow steppe, temperate typical steppe, temperate desert steppe, and temperate steppe-desert. Plant species richness and coverage were measured using quadrats, and primary productivity was estimated accordingly. Grasshopper richness and abundance were assessed sampled via sweep-netting, while carabid beetle richness and abundance were determined using pitfall trapping. All data were analyzed to identify correlations among the studied variables.

Results: The plant species richness in the temperate meadow steppe, temperate typical steppe, temperate desert steppe, and temperate steppe-desert was 41, 35, 22, and 16 species. Grasshopper (Orthoptera) richness was 9, 12, 16, and 6 species, while carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) species richness was 8, 12, 12, and 3 species, respectively. In the temperate meadow steppe, there were no significant pairwise correlations were found among plant diversity, grasshopper abundance (richness), carabid abundance (richness), and primary productivity. In the temperate typical steppe, primary productivity was positively correlated with plant diversity, carabid abundance, and carabid species richness. In the temperate desert steppe, primary productivity was positively correlated with plant diversity but negatively correlated with carabid richness. In the temperate steppe-desert, both grasshopper richness and abundance were positively correlated with plant diversity, and carabid abundance was positively correlated with grasshopper abundance. However, primary productivity was negatively correlated with plant diversity, grasshopper richness, and abundance.

Conclusion: Among the four grassland types, the strongest cascading effect of plant diversity-grasshoppers-carabids was observed in the temperate steppe-desert, where increased plant diversity significantly promoted grasshopper outbreaks and ultimately reduced primary productivity. These findings suggest that enhancing plant diversity for vegetation restoration in steppe deserts must be carefully managed, considering the trophic interactions between herbivores and their natural enemies, as well as the potential consequences for grassland productivity.

Key words: grassland plant diversity, grasshopper, carabid beetles, primary productivity, cascading effect