Jump distance of Monistria concinna in relation to metabolic rate and femur length:mass ratio

Abstract

Monistria concinna is an abundant grasshopper species from Kosciuszko National Park (KNP). Monistria concinna’s performance levels can be influenced by both morphology and physiology, which can in turn influence KNP’s ecosystem. We studied the effects of femur length:mass ratio (morphology) and metabolic rate (physiology) of M. concinna on jump distances. Jump distance was used as a proxy for performance levels, and there were two treatments used to compare temperatures – ambient temperature and cold temperature. Femur length:mass ratio was not correlated with jump performance, irrespective of temperature. However, the difference in the metabolic rate of the grasshoppers in these treatments approached statistical significance, and grasshoppers in the ambient temperature treatment jumped further than in the cold treatment. Sexual dimorphism was observed. Males had greater femur length:mass ratios and higher mass-specific jumping abilities, but males and females had equivalent jumping abilities. At the time of the experiment, there had been no previous studies on the factors which affect jump distance in M. concinna, though our results indicate that M. concinna may perform better in warming climates.