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The dynamics of laboratory populations of Callosobruchus chinensis and C. Maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in patchy environments
Author(s) -
Hassell M. P.,
Taylor V. A.,
Reader P. M.
Publication year - 1989
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/bf02515804
Subject(s) - callosobruchus maculatus , biology , callosobruchus chinensis , hatching , population , ecology , larva , zoology , pest analysis , botany , demography , sociology
Summary Experiments are described showing the long‐term dynamics of two species of bruchid beetles ( Callosobruchus chinensis and C. maculatus ) in arenas in which the resource of 50 black‐eyed beans is divided between 5, 10 or 50 ‘patches’. Both species of adult beetles exhibit clumped distributions between patches. Within a patch there is a tendency for a density dependent reduction in (1) eggs laid per female, (2) the proportion of eggs hatching per bean ( C. chinensis only) and (3) larval survival which is strongly overcompensating (particularly in C. maculatus ). A discrete generation model is used as a framework to draw these results together and show how the different factors affecting natality and mortality can influence the population dynamics. Finally, the importance of the resource renewal interval in influencing the period of the population cycles is discussed.