What major human activity is theorized to have primarily caused the extinction niche of the Rocky Mountain Locust?
Answer
Agricultural development and plowing of arid rangelands
The disappearance coincides with the industrialization and settlement of the Great Plains, specifically the plowing of the highly specific, undisturbed, arid rangelands required for the insect's reproduction.
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How Farmers Accidentally Killed Off North America's Locusts
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What was the specific species responsible for the devastating historical locust plagues in the American West?Which year marks the most infamous event cited in historical records regarding US locust plagues?Where was the primary historical habitat of the destructive Rocky Mountain Locust centered?When was the last confirmed sighting of the Rocky Mountain Locust recorded before its disappearance?What is the current geographic location of plague-forming locusts originating and thriving in the US today?Besides consuming crops, what specific non-vegetative materials were sometimes eaten by the massive locust swarms?What unique characteristic defined the life cycle of *Melanoplus spretus* that led to massive migratory phases?What major human activity is theorized to have primarily caused the extinction niche of the Rocky Mountain Locust?What were some of the rudimentary control efforts used early on against the advancing locust hordes?What are the creatures causing outbreaks in the US today generally considered, in contrast to the extinct plague species?