Study On The Relationship Between Plant Diversity And Insect Species Diversity In Meadow Grassland Of Ningxia

Plant and insect diversity are crucial elements of biodiversity,and their relationship is a current focus of ecological research.The diversity of plants significantly impacts the diversity of insects,and insects are closely interconnected with plants and trophic levels due to their diverse species,making them an essential part of the ecosystem.It is crucial to investigate the correlation between these two factors as it plays a significant role in preserving and balancing the diversity of grassland ecosystems,while also regulating the occurrence of pest and disease outbreaks.This study aimed to investigate the seasonal dynamics of insect and plant community characteristics in the meadows of South China Mountain from June to September 2021.Actual measurements and indoor identification analysis were combined to study the insect and plant species.Additionally,the study aimed to examine the response of insect community characteristics to the loss of different functional groups,including legumes,rhizomatous grasses,tufted grasses,and weeds.The findings of the study provide valuable insights into the relationship between insect and plant species in the meadows of South China Mountain.(1)For the seasonal dynamic change study,we obtained 5147 insect specimens from 7 orders and 46 families.The study found that the dominant families in the area were Carabidae,Anthomyiidae,Silphidae,Acrididae and Calliphoridae.These families showed an initial increase in population followed by a decrease as the month progressed.Among the dominant species,Thanatophilus sinuatus,Harpalus rubripes,Blapsvariolosa,Reflexisphodrusrefleximargo,Mongolotettix japonicus and Carabus glyptopterus were identified.These species also exhibited a similar trend of increasing and then decreasing in population as the month progressed.(2)Insect and plant diversity exhibited a pattern of increase and subsequent decrease as the months progressed,with the lowest value recorded in June and the highest value in August.Conversely,insect and plant dominance displayed a decrease and subsequent increase with the highest value in June and the lowest value in August.Plant and insect richness demonstrated an increase from June to August and a subsequent decrease from August to September.Insect and plant evenness followed a trend opposite to that of richness,with a decrease followed by an increase as the months changed.The abundance of insects and plants exhibited a decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend as the month progressed,indicating an inverse relationship with their evenness.(3)In the relationship between insect and plant diversity,there was an isometric growth relationship between insect and plant diversity indices and richness.The relationship between insect and plant dominance and evenness indices showed allometry growth,and all of them showed that the growth rate of plants was greater than that of insects.(4)The study found that the total number of insects,including carnivorous,phytophagous,and carrion insects,exhibited a trend of increasing and then decreasing with each passing month.The lowest number of insects was recorded in June,while the highest number was observed in August.Statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in the number of total insects and phytophagous insects between July and September(P<0.05),whereas the number of carnivorous and carrion insects were significantly different between August and September.(5)For the functional group removal study,a total of 1634 insect specimens were collected,belonging to 6 orders and 35 families.The most dominant families were Carabidae and Cicadellidae,accounting for 10.66%and 56.79%respectively.The most dominant species were Cicadellidae sp1,Cicadellidae sp2,and Cicadellidae sp3,accounting for 17.63%,18.67%,and 11.26%,respectively.(6)There were no significant differences in insect diversity,dominance,evenness,and richness indices after removing different functional groups compared to the control group.However,among different insect trophic levels,the removal of legumes had a significant effect on total insects and carnivorous insects(P<0.05).The removal of rhizomatous grasses and weeds had a significant effect on carnivorous and omnivorous insects(P<0.05),while the removal of clumping grasses had a significant effect on carnivorous insects(P<0.05).Weeds removal had a significant effect on leafhopper sp2(P<0.05).The removal of weeds had a significant impact on the abundance of leafhopper sp2(P<0.05).Overall,this study highlights the important role that plants play in influencing insect species diversity.However,the response of insect communities(including diversity,trophic level,dominant families,and species)varied depending on the loss of specific plant functional groups.These findings have important implications for grassland pest management,biodiversity conservation,and resource utilization.