MECHANICS OF POPULATION REGULATION IN AEDES TRISERIATUS

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Support is requested for inquiries about the influence of population structure of the treehole mosquito, Aedes triseriatus, on the regulation of population density, with a specific focus on the roles of density-dependent release frog egg dormancy and cannibalism of newly hatched larvae on the accuracy with which population density tracks a fluctuating resource base. A second experiment will address the ecological consequences of dispersal and habitat isolation, with a primary focus on the relevance of those factors in determining the distribution and abundance of mosquito larval populations. Evidence from laboratory studies suggests three mechanisms that could contribute to the precise adjustment of larval population density to resource abundance: 1) conditional larva-induced egg hatching stimulation and inhibition; 2) cannibalism by large larvae on newly-hatched larvae; and 3) intense larval responses to initial density and to resource concentration. The proposed investigations will permit a detection of these phenomena in the field if they occur, and the importance of their roles in population regulation. The consequences of dispersal to distribution and abundance of larvae will be examined with manipulations of habitat isolation, reduced through the addition of artificial habitats in clusters around natural treeholes or augmented by sealing off neighboring treeholes.