Rangeland grasshoppers in relation to soils in the Qinghai Lake Region, China

The relationship between rangeland grasshopper density and soil type as well as topsoil moisture content was analyzed with in situ soil data collected in the Qinghai Lake region of China. Grasshoppers were confined mainly to the areas with light chestnut soil or chestnut soil, and very few were found in areas with subalpine meadow soil. Grasshoppers were almost absent from other types of soil, such as aeolian soil. In addition, analysis of 14 soil samples collected in the study area revealed that a soil moisture content between 18 and 32 g kg(-1) coincided spatially with a higher density of grasshoppers, with the grasshopper density averaging 15 head m(-2). In areas with a soil moisture content above 42 g kg(-1) or below 10 g kg(-1), grasshopper density dropped to less than 5 head m(-2). These indicated that for the study area, soils with very high or very low moisture contents were not conducive to the survival of grasshoppers.