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Predation‐mediated Mortality of Early Life Stages: A Field Experiment with Nymphs of an Herbivorous Stick Insect ( Metriophasma diocles )
Author(s) -
Berger Jürgen R.,
Wirth Rainer
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2004.tb00337.x
Subject(s) - nymph , predation , biology , ecology , predator , abundance (ecology) , herbivore , understory , insect , instar , larva , canopy
We quantified predation pressure on first instar nymphs of a stick insect in predator‐exclusion experiments in the forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panamá. After considering intrinsic mortality (19%) and potential emigration (negligible), we estimated that 54 percent of the nymphs died due to predation in a two‐week period. Predation on nymphs was highest at night and may explain the low abundance of Metriophasma diodes in the understory.