Daily microhabitat shifting of solitarious-phase Desert locust adults: implications for meaningful population monitoring.

摘要: The Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria is a major world pest that causes substantial agricultural and economic damage. Effective control relies on effective monitoring, which requires knowledge of microhabitat selection. Yet little known about selection solitarious adult locusts in the field. We conducted field surveys to investigate fine-scale diel temporal spatial distributions adults Sahara Mauritania, breeding recession area. found moved among different, specific microhabitats throughout 24-h period cyclical manner. At night, they roosted trees, ground feed shortly after dawn, sheltered low vegetation during hot midday, returned late afternoon. Hence, switched plant species each day. These daily movements diverse were correlated with time day, light intensity, temperature, humidity, species, may relate anti-predator defence, thermoregulation, feeding. present study suggests monitoring should be adjusted, based age, phase state relative abundance species. For example, we recommend surveying morning trees at for adults, when density.