Jepson-Innes and Bock looked at the effect of cattle grazing on the abundance of grasshopper species on the Appleton-White Research Ranch in southeastern Arizona. The subfamilies Gomphocerinae, which feed principally on grass, and Melanoplinae, which are foragers, were more abundant on ungrazed plots than grazed plots in the summer. In the fall months, September and October, the subfamily Melanoplinae were more abundant on the grazed plots. The authors had no data to explain the abundance of Melanoplinae in the fall because herbaceous cover was very similar in both the grazed and ungrazed plots. One hypothesis is that due to the increased amount of bare ground on the grazed plots, herbaceous material may be more accessible than on the ungrazed plots. The effect of cattle grazing on grasshoppers appears to be dependent on the month of defoliation, as well as the species of grasshopper in question.
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