Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2008
Keywords
Culicidae, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, condition-specific competition, artificial containers, CONTAINER MOSQUITOS, LARVAL COMPETITION, FIELD EXPERIMENTS, FEEDING-BEHAVIOR, LEAF-LITTER, FLORIDA, PERFORMANCE; WATER, CONSEQUENCES, DESICCATION, Entomology, Veterinary Sciences
Abstract
Many studies of interspecific competition between Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae show that Ae. albopictus are superior resource competitors to Ae. aegypti. Single-species studies indicate that growth and survival of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae are affected by the type of detritus present in containers, which presumably affects the amount and quality of microorganisms that the mosquito larvae consume. We tested whether different detritus types alter the intensity of larval competition by raising 10 different density/species combinations of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae under standard laboratory conditions, with one of four detritus types (oak, pine, grass, or insect) provided as a nutrient base. Intraspecific competitive effects on survival were present with all detritus types. Ae. albopictus survivorship was unaffected by interspecific competition in all treatments. Negative interspecific effects on Ae. aegypti survivorship were present with three of four detritus types, but absent with grass. Estimated finite rate of increase (lambda') was lower with pine detritus than with any other detritus type for both species. Furthermore, Ae. aegypti lambda' was negatively affected by high interspecific density in all detritus types except grass. Thus, our experiment confirms competitive asymmetry in favor of Ae. albopictus with oak, pine, or insect detritus, but also demonstrates that certain detritus types may eliminate interspecific competition among the larvae of these species, which may allow for stable coexistence. Such variation in competitive outcome with detritus type may help to account for observed patterns of coexistence/exclusion of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti in the field.
Recommended Citation
Murrell, Ebony G. and Juliano, Steven A., "Detritus type alters the outcome of interspecific competition between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae)" (2008). Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences. 12.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/fpbiosci/12
Included in
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons
Comments
This article is the copyright property of the Entomological Society of America and may not be used for any commercial or other private purpose without specific written permission of the Entomological Society of America.