DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Predation, Competition, and the Role of Behavioral Tradeoffs in a Biological Invasion

这项研究测试了捕食性蚊虫Toxorhynchites rutilus对亚洲白纹伊蚊(Aedes Albopictus)幼虫和东方树洞蚊子(Ochlerotatus Triseriatus)幼虫竞争结果的影响，以及这种捕食如何影响白纹伊蚊入侵集装箱蚊子群落。虽然白纹伊蚊在资源竞争方面优于三条线姬鼠，但在野外，很少有证据表明白纹伊蚊取代了三条线亚种。白纹伊蚊不同于原生的三条线姬鼠，它不会改变自己的行为来应对白纹伊蚊的捕食风险。研究人员将检验这样一种假设，即对红毛虫捕食缺乏行为反应会导致更容易受到捕食，从而阻止它取代三色毛虫。此外，研究人员还将测试：(1)两种被捕食物种之间的竞争作用是否会被白纹伊蚊的水传播(可能是化学)捕食风险线索所改变；(2)三色金线虫和白纹伊蚊的自然丰度随着白纹伊蚊数量的增加而增加和减少；(3)白纹伊蚊种群对捕食风险线索的行为反应存在差异；4)一致的实验室捕食方案会导致白纹伊蚊更强的反捕食行为反应的进化。广泛的影响：本研究的教育影响包括研究生完成博士学位和本科生的研究经验，这些本科生将帮助实验室研究。实际影响包括增加对捕食者在限制人类疾病媒介的种群数量方面的作用的认识，以及更广泛地说，在限制外来入侵物种方面。

This research tests the effects of the predatory mosquito Toxorhynchites rutilus on the outcome of competition between larvae of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Eastern tree hole mosquito (Ochlerotatus triseriatus) and how that predation affects invasion of A. albopictus into a community of container-dwelling mosquitoes. Although A. albopictus is superior to O. triseriatus in resource competition, in the field, there is little evidence that O. triseriatus is displaced by A. albopictus. Unlike native O. triseriatus, A. albopictus does not modify its behavior in response to T. rutilus predation risk. The investigators will test the hypothesis that this lack of behavioral responses to T. rutilus predation leads to greater vulnerability to predation, which prevents it from displacing O. triseriatus. In addition, the investigators will test whether: (1) competitive interactions between the two prey species are modified by the presence of water-borne (presumably chemical) predation risk cues from T. rutilus; (2) natural abundances of O. triseriatus and A. albopictus increase and decrease, respectively, with the abundance of T. rutilus; (3) there are differences among populations of A. albopictus in behavioral responses to predation risk cues; and 4) a consistent laboratory regimen of predation causes evolution of greater anti-predatory behavioral responses in A. albopictus.Broader impacts: Educational impacts of this research include the completion of the Ph.D. by a graduate student and research experiences for undergraduates who will aid in the laboratory research. Practical impacts include increased knowledge of the role of predators in population limitation of vectors of human disease, and more generally, in limitation of exotic invasive species.