Energy balance of food in a detrito-bryophagous groundhopper (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 8; p. e9603
• Main Authors: Kuravová, Katerina, Sipos, Jan, Kocárek, Petr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego PeerJ. Ltd 28.07.2020; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Animal Behavior; Bryophyta; Calorimetry; Detritus; Diet; Dietary preferences; Digestive tract; Ecology; Energy; Energy balance; Energy budget; Energy value; Entomology; Feces; Food; Food Science and Technology; Foraging behavior; Foraging strategy; Grasshoppers; Herbivory; Humidity; Laboratories; Mosses; Organic matter; Orthoptera; Tetrigidae; Zoology; Netherlands; Germany
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9603

Detritus (decaying organic matter) and phyllodes of mosses are two main components in the diet of groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae). We studied the energy balance of consumed food under laboratory conditions in the detrito-bryophagous groundhopper, Tetrix subulata (Linnaeus, 1758). The results indicated that the energy food budget of this detrito-bryophagous groundhopper was comparable to those of small herbivorous grasshoppers (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae, Melanoplinae), which have a similar energy food budget of approximately 800-1,100 J/g. T. subulata consumed four times more detritus than mosses, although both components provided similar amounts of energy (ca. 15-16 kJ/g). However, in contrast with detritus, moss fragments passed through the digestive tract without a distinct change in their mass or a loss in their energy value. We assume that moss may cause the longer retention of semifluid mass of partly digested food in the alimentary tract; hence, the digestion and efficiency of nutrient absorption from detritus could be more effective.