Effects of sampling time on community structure research for grassland grasshopper with sweep sampling

Sweep sampling is the most common method used to the community structure research for grassland grasshopper, it is easy and cost-effective. To study the effects of sampling time on the community structure research for grassland grasshopper with sweep sampling, the collected data obtained from various times during 07:00-19:00 was compared in this study. The results showed that the caught numbers of adult and nymphal grasshoppers were not statistically different (P＞0.05) from 07:00 to 17:00. There were no significant differences (P＞0.05) in ratio of nymphs, community diversity, evenness and richness across times sampled. Regression analysis showed no correlation between grasshopper capture and temperature range from 18 to 28 ℃ (P＞0.05). In conclusion, the suitable time for grasshopper community research with sweep sampling is from 17:00 to 07:00 clock.