Effects of Different Grazing Intensities on Grasshopper Communities in \u3cem\u3eStipa breviflora\u3c/em\u3e Desert Steppe

As a common method of grassland management, grazing plays an important role in grassland conservation. Grasshoppers and large herbivores are integral parts of grassland biodiversity and food webs. However, to some extent there is still room for further research on how grasshoppers cope with grazing by large herbivores. A field grazing experiment in Stipa breviflora desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China to investigate the effects of sheep grazing intensity on the abundance and richness of locust population and community. The grazing experiment started in 2004, and the grasshopper population and community were investigated in 2021. The results showed that: Grazing results in the change of dominant species of grasshopper in desert steppe from the C.abbreviatus to the O.asiaticus. Grazing intensity increases the abundance of dominant species, thus increasing the risk of grasshopper outbreaks. Our results suggest that light grazing by sheep is a beneficial management practice to maintain locust species diversity, but at the same time keep the abundance lo