SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PREDATION FOR DIFFERENT GRASSHOPPERS - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

Immature individuals are more vulnerable at small body sizes and adults are more vulnerable at large body sizes; this is because the principal predators on immature individuals are arthropods, and on adults, vertebrates. Male grasshoppers were 2-3 times as vulnerable as females. The subfamily Oedopodinae was more vulnerable than the Gomphocerinae or Melanoplinae. Predators are only able to impact seriously (reduce life expectancy below the suitable abiotic period for existence) the largest Oedopodinae, making predation of little consequence for most grasshopper populations in this W Montana environment. -from Authors