Biology
Density-dependent interactions within a complex life cycle: the roles of cohort structure and mode of recruitment
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Analysed the effects of cohort structure, density, egg hatch inhibition and cannibalism on estimated per capita growth rate (r′) in populations of Aedes triseriatus established in artificial habitats. As density increased from 0.5 K to 0.75 K to the estimated carrying capacity (K = 60 larvae per 100 ml), r′ decreased, along with other measures of success: survivorship, female size, and development rate. Cohort structure and recruitment schedule significantly influenced r′. Populations initiated as eggs achieved r′ values greater than cohorts started as first instar larvae and substantially greater than those populations consisting of single cohorts. There was no evidence for cannibalism in the experimental habitats, which were stocked with leaf detritus and treehole water. Egg-initiated cohorts exhibited the greatest developmental asynchrony during the first month of the experiment, whereas cohorts added as 2-day-old larvae displayed highly synchronized development. Increased competitive interactions in this latter treatment may explain the small size attained by adult females emerging from these populations. Differences among multiple cohort groups increased with increasing density. Results emphasize the need to incorporate overlapping stages into experimental designs for populations that develop asynchronously, and the value of using r′ as a descriptor of success rather than the individual components of success (eg survivorship, size, and development rate) which can lead to misinterpretations of productivity. -from Authors
Publication Title
Journal of Animal Ecology
Publication Date
1992
Volume
61
Issue
1
First Page
139
Last Page
150
ISSN
0021-8790
DOI
10.2307/5517
Keywords
cannibalism, density-dependent
Repository Citation
Edgerly, J. S. and Livdahl, T. P., "Density-dependent interactions within a complex life cycle: the roles of cohort structure and mode of recruitment" (1992). Biology. 419.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_biology/419