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Studies on the interspecies competition between the azuki bean weevil, Callosobruchus chinensis , and the southern cowpea weevil, C. maculatus V. The role of adult behavior in competition
Author(s) -
Fujii Koichi
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1007/bf02511566
Subject(s) - biology , population density , weevil , callosobruchus chinensis , competition (biology) , cage , population , pest analysis , longevity , zoology , ecology , botany , genetics , demography , mathematics , combinatorics , sociology
Summary One strain (iC) of C. chinensis and two strains (aQ and tQ) of C. maculatus were used to study the temporal pattern in adult distribution in oviposition site. The density of iC in the oviposition site decreased faster than the density in the population cage, but the pattern was not affected by the presence of the other species. The density in ovipositon site of aQ and tQ controls was far lower than that of iC. The density changes in the controls of both strains were rather parallel to the pattern in the population cage. The density of aQ and tQ in the oviposition site in mixed cultures was affected by the presence of the other species. The density of aQ was less than half that in the controls. The pattern of density change was almost the same as in the controls. The density of tQ in the mixed cultures, although lowered initially by the presence of iC, increased after the density of iC decreased. Coupled with its longer female longevity, this characteristic of tQ behavior at the oviposition site apparently contributed to its winning the competition with iC. The adult distribution pattern observed in the present experiments provides an explanation for the peculiar two‐fold increase in mean individual weight of C. chinensis in mixed cultures compared with controls, while C. maculatus adults were a little lighter in mixed cultures than the controls.