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Orthoptera research in the natural sciences spans diverse disciplines, including taxonomy, evolutionary biology, physiology, behavior, and ecology. Studies reveal their deep evolutionary history, the genetic and physiological mechanisms of their development and movement, and their ecological roles as herbivores and prey. Researchers also investigate their communication, neurobiology, and feeding strategies, as well as the effects of climate change on their distribution and population dynamics. By integrating molecular techniques, field studies, and emerging technologies, scientists continue to refine our understanding of Orthoptera and their broader significance in ecosystems and biology.

Fundamental research in Orthoptera

Illustrations of Orthoptera from Jardine Naturalist's library Entomology Plate 17
Diagram of the mechanism of the hind leg of a grasshopper (from Snodgrass 1929).
Closeup of an ear in the leg of Melanoplus femurrubrum.
The gigantic Triassic Gigatitan vulgaris Sharov, 1968. Nearly complete body with wings and fore legs.
Molting of a Gaudy Grasshopper (Neorthacris acuticeps)
A Lilac-breasted Roller bird feeds on a species of Acrididae.

The study of grasshoppers, crickets, katydids (bush crickets) and their kin falls within the field of entomology, the branch of natural sciences dedicated to understanding insects. These remarkable creatures belong to the order Orthoptera, a diverse and ancient group that has played a key role in ecosystems for hundreds of millions of years. Scientists in taxonomy and systematics work to classify this vast diversity, identifying evolutionary relationships among species and tracing how they have adapted to different environments over time ^[1]. Paleoentomology, through fossil discoveries, has revealed extinct relatives of modern Orthoptera, showing how their wing structures, feeding habits, and survival strategies evolved alongside shifting climates and ecosystems ^[2]^[3].

Modern phylogenetics and molecular biology have further refined our understanding of Orthopteran evolution, using genetic sequencing to reconstruct their evolutionary history and identify the genes responsible for key traits ^[4]. In particular, researchers have uncovered how genetic and hormonal mechanisms govern developmental processes, including the extraordinary phase transformation seen in locusts, where environmental conditions trigger a shift from solitary individuals to gregarious swarm behavior ^[5]. This research links closely with physiology and biomechanics, which explore how specialized musculature and respiratory adaptations allow these insects to jump long distances, sustain flight, and survive in diverse habitats.

Beyond individual adaptations, behavioral ecology and bioacoustics reveal how Orthoptera interact with their environments and each other. Crickets and katydids, for example, rely on intricate acoustic signaling to communicate, attracting mates or defending territories through species-specific calls ^[6]. Studies of neurobiology have shed light on how these insects process sensory information, regulate movement, and respond to environmental changes, offering insight into broader principles of animal behavior and communication.

At the ecosystem level, Orthoptera play a vital role as primary consumers, shaping plant communities and serving as prey for many predators. Nutritional ecology examines their feeding strategies and dietary preferences, helping to explain their influence on vegetation dynamics and the feedback between land-use change and orthopteran populations ^[7]^[5]^[8]^[9], and ecosystem stability. Meanwhile, biogeography and climate science investigate how Orthopteran species are distributed across the globe and how factors like temperature and habitat change influence their populations. As climate shifts alter ecosystems, researchers are increasingly focused on how these insects may expand or contract their ranges in response to new environmental pressures.

Through fieldwork, laboratory experiments, and advanced technologies such as remote sensing and genetic analysis, scientists continue to uncover the fundamental principles that shape Orthoptera biology. While this research has direct applications for fields like conservation and agriculture, its primary aim is to deepen our understanding of these remarkable insects and their place in the natural world. By studying their evolution, physiology, behavior, and ecological roles, researchers not only refine our knowledge of Orthoptera but also contribute to broader scientific discussions about adaptation, biodiversity, and environmental change.

Resources

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Natural sciences pages

Organizations associated with natural sciences

Organization name	Acronym	Website	Type	Focus	Focus keywords	Geographic purview
Agency of Plant Protection and Quarantine of the Republic of Uzbekistan	UzNIIZR	View	Government	Research	Natural sciences	Uzbekistan
All-Russian Institute for Plant Protection	VIZR	View	Government	Research, Management	Biological control, Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Russia
APHIS PPQ Science & Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station)	IMMDL	View	Government	Research, Management	Management, Natural sciences	United States
Australian Plague Locust Commission	APLC	View	Government	Management, Research, Governance	Agricultural development, Control, Coordination, Education, Emergency assistance, Forecasting, Funding, Governance, Information hub, International development, Media, Monitoring, Policy, Regional cooperation, Research, Sustainable development, Technology, Training, Natural sciences	Australia
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation	EMBRAPA	View	Government	Development, Management, Governance, Research	Agricultural development, Control, Emergency assistance, International development, Media, Monitoring, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Technology, Training, Natural sciences	Brazil
Comité de Sanidad Vegetal del Cono Sur	COSAVE	View	Non-governmental Organization	Education, Management, Governance, Information Hub	Coordination, Training, Control, Natural sciences	Uruguay
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region	CRC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance, Education, Information Hub	Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia
Directorate of Plant Protection	DPV	View	Government	Management, Research, Education	Monitoring, Control, Training, Natural sciences	Senegal
FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in Northwest Africa	CLCPANO	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Governance, Education, Management, Research	Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania
FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South-West Asia	SWAC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Information Hub, Education, Governance	Training, Monitoring, Control, Regional cooperation, Natural sciences	India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran
FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region	CLCPRO	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Governance, Research, Management	Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger
FAO Desert Locust Control Committee	DLCC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Governance	Agricultural development, Community development, Control, International development, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Training, Natural sciences	Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, [[United Arab Em...
FAO Desert Locust Information Service	DLIS	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Education, Governance, Information Hub, Funding	Agricultural development, Community development, Control, Coordination, Emergency assistance, Forecasting, International development, Media, Monitoring, Policy, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Technology, Training, Early warning, Natural sciences	Africa, Asia, Europe
FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Plant Pests	ECTTP	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance	Coordination, Monitoring, Natural sciences	Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe
FAO Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases	EMPRES	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance, Research	Monitoring, Control, Training, Regional cooperation, Natural sciences	Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe
Global Locust Initiative	GLI	View	University	Research, Education, Information Hub	Sustainable development, Ecology, Nutrition, Social science, Natural sciences, Agriculture, Agroecology, Biology, Behavior, Biological control, Climate change, Education, Sustainability science, Geometric framework, Grazing, Governance, Food security, Arts and humanities, Land use management, Landscape ecology, Locusts, Migration, Phase polyphenism, Phenotypic plasticity, Soil science	United States, Senegal, Australia, China, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mali
IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre	ICPAC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Research	Forecasting, Agricultural development, International development, Early warning, Natural sciences	Kenya
India Locust Warning Organization	LWO		Government	Management, Information Hub, Research	Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Training, Natural sciences	India
Inter-American Coordinating Group in Plant Protection	GICSV	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Governance	Regional cooperation, Natural sciences	Caribbean
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture	IICA	View	Non-governmental Organization	Development	Agricultural development, Natural sciences	Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Intergovernmental Authority on Development	IGAD	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Research	Forecasting, Agricultural development, International development, Natural sciences	Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology	ICIPE	View	Non-profit Organization	Research, Education	Sustainable development, Training, Natural sciences	Kenya
International Red Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa	IRLCO CSA	[www.redlocust.org.zm/ View]	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance, Funding	Monitoring, Control, Regional cooperation, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi
Kazakh Research Institute for Plant Protection and Quarantine	NIIZKR	View	Government	Research, Management, Education	Training, Control, Monitoring, Natural sciences	Kazakhstan
Le Centre National de Lutte Antiacridienne	CNLA	View	Government	Research, Management, Governance	Monitoring, Control, Coordination, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Mauritania
Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior		View	University		Collective movement, Natural sciences	Germany
National Agricultural Technology Institute	INTA	View	Government	Education, Information Hub, Governance, Research, Management	Training, Regional cooperation, Agricultural development, Control, Sustainable development, Coordination, Monitoring, Natural sciences	Argentina
National Grasshopper Management Board	NGMB	View	Non-profit Organization	Governance, Management	Coordination, Natural sciences	United States
National Institute of Plant Protection of Algeria	INPV	View	Government	Governance, Management, Information Hub, Development	Regional cooperation, Control, Forecasting, Monitoring, Coordination, Agricultural development, Training, Natural sciences	Algeria
National Plant and Seed Health and Quality Service	SENAVE	View	Government	Management, Governance, Research, Funding	Monitoring, Control, Agricultural development, Coordination, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Technology, Emergency assistance, Natural sciences	Paraguay
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries	NSW DPI	View	Government	Education, Management	Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Training, Natural sciences	Australia
New South Wales Local Land Services	NSW LLS	View	Government	Management	Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Australia
Prairie Pest Monitoring Network		View	Non-profit Organization	Management	Monitoring, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Canada
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries	QLD DPI	View	Government	Management	Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Australia
Sahel Institute	INSAH	View	Intergovernmental Organization, University	Development, Governance, Research, Management, Information Hub	Agricultural development, Coordination, International development, Policy, Regional cooperation, Training, Natural sciences	Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Cape Verde
Servicio Nacional de Saneamiento	SENASA PY	View	Government	Information Hub, Governance, Management	Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Paraguay
Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria	SENASAG	View	Government	Management, Research	Control, Agricultural development, Monitoring, Natural sciences	Bolivia
Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria	SAGARPA-SENASICA	View	Government	Governance, Management	Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Mexico
Servivio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria	SENASA PE	View	Government	Governance, Management	Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Peru
State Committee for Plant Health	CESAVE	View	Government	Information Hub, Management	Control, Monitoring, Forecasting, Training, Natural sciences	Mexico
State Committee for Plant Health in the State of Yucatan	CESVY	View	Government	Management, Education, Governance	Control, Training, Coordination, Natural sciences	Mexico
The French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development	CIRAD	View	Government	Education, Development, Research, Management	Forecasting, International development, Training, Agricultural development, Sustainable development, Natural sciences, Modeling, Monitoring, Research, Control, Community development	France
The National Food Safety and Quality Service	SENASA AR	View	Government	Management, Governance, Funding, Research, Education	Control, Coordination, Emergency assistance, Forecasting, Monitoring, Regional cooperation, Technology, Training, Agricultural development, Sustainable development, Natural sciences	Argentina
The Orthopterists' Society	OS	View	Non-profit Organization	Information Hub, Research, Education	Coordination, Funding, Natural sciences	Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania

References

↑ Pratt, Renae C., et al. (2008). "Diversification of New Zealand Weta (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Anostostomatidae) and Their Relationships in Australasia." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 363(1508): 3427–37. DOI.
↑ Chen, Lu, et al. (2021). "Ovipositor and Mouthparts in a Fossil Insect Support a Novel Ecological Role for Early Orthopterans in 300 Million Years Old Forests." eLife, 10(November): e71006. DOI.
↑ Smith, Dena M., et al. (2011). "First Fossil Orthoptera from the Jurassic of North America." Journal of Paleontology, 85(1): 102–5. DOI.
↑ Song, Hojun, et al. (2015). "300 Million Years of Diversification: Patterns of Orthopteran Evolution." Cladistics, 31(6): 621–51. DOI.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Cullen, Darron A., et al. (2017). "From Molecules to Management: Mechanisms and Consequences of Locust Phase Polyphenism." In Advances in Insect Physiology, 53: 167–285. Elsevier.
↑ Hall, Marion, and David Robinson (2021). "Acoustic Signalling in Orthoptera." In Advances in Insect Physiology, 61: 1–99. Academic Press. DOI.
↑ Cease, A. J. (2013). "Linking Rangeland Management with the Nutritional Physiology and Ecology of Locusts." Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Congress, 1619–22.
↑ Cease, Arianne (2012). "Locust Outbreaks and Migration in the Asian Steppe: The Influence of Land Management Practices and Host Plant Nutrient Status." Arizona State University.
↑ Cease, Arianne J., et al. (2015). "Living with Locusts: Connecting Soil Nitrogen, Locust Outbreaks, Livelihoods, and Livestock Markets." Bioscience, 65(June): 551–58. DOI.

[Pratt2008-1] Pratt, Renae C., et al. (2008). "Diversification of New Zealand Weta (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Anostostomatidae) and Their Relationships in Australasia." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 363(1508): 3427–37. DOI.

[Chen2021-2] Chen, Lu, et al. (2021). "Ovipositor and Mouthparts in a Fossil Insect Support a Novel Ecological Role for Early Orthopterans in 300 Million Years Old Forests." eLife, 10(November): e71006. DOI.

[Smith2011-3] Smith, Dena M., et al. (2011). "First Fossil Orthoptera from the Jurassic of North America." Journal of Paleontology, 85(1): 102–5. DOI.

[Song2015-4] Song, Hojun, et al. (2015). "300 Million Years of Diversification: Patterns of Orthopteran Evolution." Cladistics, 31(6): 621–51. DOI.

[Cullen2017-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Cullen, Darron A., et al. (2017). "From Molecules to Management: Mechanisms and Consequences of Locust Phase Polyphenism." In Advances in Insect Physiology, 53: 167–285. Elsevier.

[Hall2021-6] Hall, Marion, and David Robinson (2021). "Acoustic Signalling in Orthoptera." In Advances in Insect Physiology, 61: 1–99. Academic Press. DOI.

[Cease2013-7] Cease, A. J. (2013). "Linking Rangeland Management with the Nutritional Physiology and Ecology of Locusts." Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Congress, 1619–22.

[Cease2012-8] Cease, Arianne (2012). "Locust Outbreaks and Migration in the Asian Steppe: The Influence of Land Management Practices and Host Plant Nutrient Status." Arizona State University.

[Cease2015-9] Cease, Arianne J., et al. (2015). "Living with Locusts: Connecting Soil Nitrogen, Locust Outbreaks, Livelihoods, and Livestock Markets." Bioscience, 65(June): 551–58. DOI.

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