Zihua, ZhaoReddy, Gadi V. P.Wei, ShuhuaZhu, MengmengZhang, KaiyangYu, HongqianWang, ZhanjunJiang, QiZhang, Rong2018-09-142018-09-142018-03Zihua, Zhao, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Shuhua Wei, Mengmeng Zhu, Kaiyang Zhang, Hongqian Yu, Zhanjun Wang, Qi Jiang, and Rong Zhang. "Plant cover associated with aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) mediates insect community composition in steppes of Northwest China." Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 21, no. 1 (March 2018): 361-366. DOI: 10.1016/j.aspen.2018.01.017.1226-8615https://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/14843Temperate steppe is one of the most important natural habitats for the conservation of arthropod and bird biodiversity across the Eurasian Tectonic Plate. Since 1950, fragmentation of the steppe habitat has caused a loss of biodiversity and degradation of the species communities found in natural steppe. Therefore, in this study, both plants and insects were sampled at 56 sites in the steppe biome of northwestern China to explore the effects of plant community on insect community composition and diversity. The insect community structure varied in the four different steppe types (meadow steppe, typical steppe, desert steppe, and steppe desert). Plant cover (diversity) was an important driving force, which could enhance number of families and abundance of an insect community. Aboveground net primary productivity and water content of plants had no significant effects on insect community, although the plant community as a whole did mediate insect composition and community structure. Future research should explore the ecological role of particular functional groups in plant and insect communities. Supplemental sowing to improve plant diversity in steppe habitat may be another strategy to enhance biodiversity and achieve sustainable management.enThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Article