The Kaspari Lab
Category: Grassland Invertebrates
Potassium as a game-changer in prairie food webs
This study suggests why the K and Na in urine may reveal a plant’s hidden super-power in its battle against herbivores.
Read MoreAll that is green is not nutritious or, The importance of peeing earnestly
The quality of urine is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from bison on the lawn beneath.
Bite by bite: why North American herbivores confront such a variable diet
As you travel across North America, grasslands are everywhere, from roadside strips to boundless open prairie. It is easy think of acres of grass and forbs (flowering herbs) as just mouthfuls of forage for local herbivores. Give me a moment…
Read MoreThe Great Diverse North? Flipping the latitudinal gradient.
Every student of Ecology learns that the variety of species declines as you move north or south from the equator. In a new paper led by Dr. Michael Weiser @NEONAnts we show the truth is more delightfully complex. And we…
Read MoreGrasshopper Declines and the perils of Nutrient Dilution
Grasshopper numbers at a tall grass prairie have declined ca. 2% per year. Ellen Welti leads in identifying a likely culprit: increasing CO2 is diluting plant nutrients, making each bite less and less nutritious over the years. This open access…
Read MoreHerbivores like a little salt with their protein
When offered grassland plots fertilized with Nitrogen+Phosphorus, Sodium, or both, above and belowground invertebrates respond to salt differently.
Read MoreNew PostDoc to study Geographical Ecology of prairie food webs
A new NSF DEB grant to Mike Kaspari and Nate Sanders supports a 3-year postdoc who will join us to explore the Geographical Ecology of invertebrate plant consumers across North American grasslands, meadows, and roadways. Our focus is on the…
Read MoreKnow Your Grassland Invertebrates: The Cobweb Spiders
An occasional series by AntLab Parataxonomist: Brittany Benson Theridiidae – Cobweb Spiders, or Comb-Footed Spiders Have a comb of serrated setae on the fourth tibiae (these are used to draw out and fling silk when attacking). Also, typically have a round…
Read MoreKnow Your Grassland Invertebrates: The Checkered Beetles
An occasional series by AntLab Parataxonomist: Brittany Benson Cleridae – Checkered Beetles With more than 3,500 species in 330 genera worldwide, about 300 species in 36 genera occur in North America, being more diverse in the south. They have a…
Read MoreKnow Your Grassland Invertebrate: The Leafhoppers
An occasional series by AntLab Parataxonomist: Brittany Benson Cicadellidae Hind tibiae with 1 or more rows of small spines – this is the main thing separating this family from the other Cicadoidea families. Commonly called leafhoppers, there are about 3,000 North…
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