An ecological model for the study of the grasshopper Oedaleus senegalensis in west Africa

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Abstract
This study concerns the Senegalese Grasshopper, Oedaleus senegalensisi which is one of the most damaging acridids to crops in the Sahel. The method used is an attempt to provide a satisfactory description of reality by ecological modelling. Functional analysis of interactions between the grasshopper and its environment has provided a scheme of relations which is the basis of the specific ecological model. Its credibility being established, the model is utilized where there is any shortage of information; it is also possible to include spot checks of the validity of the results by verifying that the known facts fit into the scheme obtained by deductive reasoning. Operational simulation has directed attention to : the essential elements in the life cycle of the species (seasonal displacements, range of distribution, development of generations); to the factors involved in mass multiplication and in gregarization in west Africa; and to the organization of an effective and economic system of surveillance and control.

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