An underground index of rangeland degradation: cicadas in arid southern Africa
- 1 August 1992
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Oecologia
- Vol. 91 (2), 288-291
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00317798
Abstract
The prediction that density of long-lived, underground herbivores (Cicadidae) is a function of rangeland condition was examined in arid shrublands in the Karoo, South Africa. It was found that the density of adult cicadas was correlated with cover of deep-rooted, perennial plants. Differences in perennial plant cover were independent of soil type and rock cover. On degraded rangelands, where perennial plants had been replaced by ephemerals and short-lived plants, cicada densities were significantly depressed. We concluded that vegetation transformation by domestic livestock is likely to affect invertebrate populations and their vertebrate predators.Keywords
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