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Predator‐mediated coexistence in laboratory communities of mycophagous Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae)
Author(s) -
WORTHEN WADE B.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1989.tb00761.x
Subject(s) - biology , interspecific competition , predation , competition (biology) , predator , larva , drosophilidae , drosophila (subgenus) , abundance (ecology) , biomass (ecology) , ecology , biological pest control , zoology , drosophila melanogaster , biochemistry , gene
. 1. This laboratory experiment examined the effects of interspecific competition and predation by Ontholestes cingulatus Gravenhorst (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) on three species of mycophagous Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae): D.tripunctata Loew, D.falleni Wheeler and D.putrida Sturtevant. 2. Single‐species and three‐species assemblages were exposed to single commercial mushrooms on wet pine shavings in 200 ml culture bottles. A predacious rove beetle (Ontholestes cingulatus) was present in half of the three‐species replicates. The stocked adult flies and beetles were removed after 4 days, and the number, biomass and mean mass of emerging progeny was recorded. 3. For all three species the abundance and biomass of the progeny emerging in the ‘no predator’ communities' was significantly less than for the progeny emerging in single‐species replicates, suggesting an interspecific competitive effect. D.tripunctata was the competitive dominant; it emerged in abundance from all seven three‐species ‘no predator’ communities while D.putrida and D.falleni were often excluded. 4. The decrease in production was attributed to strong interspecific competition among larva and not interference among ovipositing adults. 5. Predation on ovipositing adults significantly reduced the number and biomass of D.tripunctata progeny emerging, and indirectly facilitated the number and biomass of emerging D.falleni and D.putrida.Predation on adults reduced larval recruitment, relaxed larval competition, and released the inferior competitors.