Locusts Prefer Geavily Grazed Dields (IMAGE)
Caption
A locust (Oedaleus asiaticus) pauses in its preferred habitat -- a field heavily grazed by sheep (background) near the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecological Research Station in northeast China. Heavy livestock grazing enhances soil erosion and nitrogen depletion which promotes outbreaks of this locust by shifting plant nutrient content toward lower nitrogen conditions favorable to O. asiaticus. In contrast to paradigms for nitrogen limitation in herbivores, higher nitrogen diets decrease growth and survival of this locust.
Credit
Arianne Cease
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