Primary succession of Acrididae (Orthoptera): Differences in displacement capacities in early and late colonizers of new habitats

Rehabilitated mine sites are suitable environments for the study of primary ecological succession. Following the monitoring of Plant and Orthoptera communities for 4 years on 7 sites in the Limousin region (France), covering 9 years of rehabilitation, three grasshopper seres were defined. It is expected that these seres are conditioned by both displacement capacities and reproductive characteristics. This study compares by field experiments the jumping flights and walking speed of the most abundant Caelifera belonging to the defined seres. A strong link emerged between the successional stages, the distances covered by jumping flights and sexual dimorphism. Walking speed is poorly related to the successional stage. We show that the high density of some species, as observed in the medium stage of succession, significantly reduces the walking distance of late colonisers, suggesting a mechanism that reduces further colonisation.