ABSTRACT
Grasshopper populations on western grasslands historically have exhibited dramatic shifts in numerical abundance. Increases in abundance, alone or in combination with migration, have had devastating effects on the agricultural economy of the affected areas. This chapter reviews the important elements affecting the population ecology of western rangeland grasshoppers, and emphasizes the different or unique aspects associated with the shortgrass region. Examination of literature on grasshoppers in the Great Plains region of North America indicates that each of the three major grasshopper subfamilies is well represented throughout the region. Grasshopper phenology, in particular, vanes with location due to differences in grasshopper population composition. Although key species in the northern Great Plains exhibit considerable synchrony in hatch and development, southern regions apparently have more late-developing species. Any long-term collection of data on grasshopper occurrence demonstrates periods of great abundance interspersed by periods of rarity.
