Responses of Sap-feeding Insects (Homoptera - Hemiptera) to Simplification of Host Plant Structure 1

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Abstract
The richness and diversity of a guild of sap-feeding insects on a structurally complex grass ( Distichilis spicata ) and a structurally simple one ( Spartina alterniflora ) were compared. D. spicata grew taller and exhibited greater foliage height diversity than S. alterniflora . D. spicata housed a richer and more diverse (H') community of sap-feeders (Delphacidae, Cicadellidae, Issidae, Miridae, and Pentatomidae) than S. alterniflora . Based on multiple regression analysis, grass height explained more of the variation in sap-feeder richness than foliage height diversity or grass biomass, although all 3 components were significantly correlated with species richness. When the structure of both grass systems was simplified by thatch removal the richness of sap-feeder species dropped significantly, but the diversity and evenness of the guilds fluctuated depending on the responses of the dominant species. Species inhabiting the upper strata of the grass system showed population increases on dethatched grass or were equally abundant there compared to unaltered grass. Sap-feeders inhabiting strata beneath the thatch were adversely affected by its removal. We suggest that grasses like D. spicata with tall culms and complex structure (thatch producing) support a larger and more diverse fauna of sap-feeders than grasses with simple structure.

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