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Prey preferences of aquatic insects: potential implications for the regulation of wetland mosquitoes
Author(s) -
SAHA N.,
ADITYA G.,
SAHA G. K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12003
Subject(s) - predation , biology , generalist and specialist species , aquatic insect , larva , ecology , context (archaeology) , odonata , habitat , paleontology
Wetlands are potential sites for mosquito breeding and are thus important in the context of public health. The use of chemical and microbial controls is constrained in wetlands in view of their potential impact on the diverse biota. Biological control using generalist aquatic insects can be effective, provided a preference for mosquito larvae is exhibited. The mosquito prey preferences of water bugs and larvae of odonate species were evaluated using chironomid larvae, fish fingerlings and tadpoles as alternative prey. Manly's selectivity ( α i ) values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to judge prey preference patterns. Multivariate analysis of variance ( manova) and standardized canonical coefficients were used to test the effects of density on prey selectivity. The α i values indicated a significant preference ( P < 0.05) in all of the insect predators tested for mosquito larvae over the alternative prey as a density‐dependent function. On a comparative scale, chironomid larvae had the highest impact as alternative prey. In a multiple‐prey experiment, predators showed a similar pattern of preference for mosquito larvae over alternative prey, reflecting a significant ( P < 0.05) niche overlap. The results suggest that, in a laboratory setting, these insect predators can effectively reduce mosquito density in the presence of multiple alternative prey.