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

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Abstract
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.
Funding Information
  • EU structural funding Operational Programme Research and Development for Innovation (CZ.1.05/2.1.00/19.0388)
  • National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic (Project LO1208)
  • Institutional Research Support grants from the University of Ostrava ((SGS21/PřF/2013, SGS24/PřF/2014, SGS2/PřF/2015)

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