Grasshopper diversity and abundance in relation to elevation and vegetation from a snapshot in Mediterranean Anatolia: role of latitudinal position in altitudinal differences

Abstract

Previously described patterns of altitudinal differences in species diversity and abundance still need to be tested in respect of generality across lineages and regions. Grasshopper diversity and abundance of an altitudinal transect in the eastern Mediterranean were studied to test the generality of these patterns. To identify the reasons underlying altitudinal differences, vegetation of the study area was studied. Our data show that species diversity and abundance are highest at middle altitudes and lower at high and low altitudes for grasshoppers. This pattern is consistent with that found in many arthropod groups, but it is not consistent with the pattern reported for Orthoptera in previous studies. A cluster analysis based on the grasshopper diversity and abundance identified three distinct altitudinal zones. Possible reasons for these distinct zones were the altitudinal differences in plant composition, the precipitous nature near the summits, urbanization and grazing livestock, and the latitudinal position of the study area.

Keywords:

• grasshopper
• diversity
• abundance
• elevation
• vegetation

Acknowledgements

Our special thanks go to Theodore Cohn (Michigan, USA) for his valuable comments on manuscript. We also thank to three anonymous reviewers for their constructive critiques. This study was supported by Akdeniz University, Research Fund.