ABSTRACT
Coexisting grasshopper species in North American rangeland typically feed on different plants are found in different microhabitats, and are phenologically shifted throughout the year. When describing patterns of forage loss from grasshoppers, one is also describing temporal and spatial patterns of plant and grasshopper aggregation on a species-specific basis. The underlying ecological, behavioral and physiological mechanisms which determine which plants will be eaten, and to what extent, represent a hierarchy of interactions. Habitat/grasshopper relationships are often biogeographical in origin, as evidenced by the fact that different taxonomic mixes of species are often associated with different habitats. Few activity budgets have been compiled for grasshoppers. Time/activity budgets for several coexisting species from western Nebraska sandhills grassland. Grasshopper diet selection may be influenced by the range of available plants in addition to absolute chemical and physical attributes of specific plant taxa.
