Auchenorrhyncha‐host plant interactions: leafhoppers and grasses

ABSTRACT. Grass nutrient levels differed considerably between the grass species and with time. Most species of leafhopper (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha) were present on all the grasses sampled but each grass had a different dominant leaf‐hopper fauna. The leafhopper—plant association varied depending on the leafhopper species. Species that were strongly associated with one host were rare. Other more oligophagous species were associated with a particular nitrogen level in the grass. These species were found on grasses that had nitrogen concentrations within a narrow range. As the plant nitrogen levels altered (associated with flowering, seed setting, and senescence) leafhoppers switched onto other food plants that had a suitable nitrogen level. An intermediate group of leafhoppers showed little specificity and little association with plant nitrogen levels.