The grasshopper population could be decreasing this year. It's the latest data point in a trend that a researcher says has been thrown out of whack by climate change.
A University of New Mexico researcher says rain, temperature and plant growth combined last year to create perfect conditions for grasshoppers.
Dr. David Lightfoot says the insect's population can grow very rapidly.
He has tracked grasshopper numbers for more than 25 years, but says climate change has thrown them out of whack over the past decade.
Grasshopper population used to be easier to predict, but now Lightfoot says he's unsure what species will be abundant each year because the timing and amount of rainfall and increase in temperatures are having a big effect.
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Information from: KOAT-TV, http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/index.html
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