Open Access<p class="Body"><strong>Effect of foundress population density and size on reproduction and population growth of a haplodiploid mite</strong></p>
Author(s) -
Nuwan Weerawansha,
Qiao Wang,
Xiong Zhao He
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
systematic and applied acarology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2056-6069
pISSN - 1362-1971
DOI - 10.11158/saa.25.11.11
Subject(s) - biology , population , haplodiploidy , population density , population growth , reproduction , competition (biology) , population size , mite , pest analysis , density dependence , acari , ecology , sex ratio , demography , botany , sociology
Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive polyphagous haplodiploid pest mite of many vegetable crops in many parts of the world. This study investigated the effects of simultaneous variations in the local foundress population density and size on the reproduction and population growth of T. ludeni. We show that negative population-density and -size dependency limited the reproduction of foundresses, where the effects of population size on population growth overweighed that of population density. We further demonstrate that ovipositing females could accelerate population growth rate (intrinsic rate of increase, rm) at higher population sizes by producing more daughters early during their lifespan, which can be an adaptive strategy to allow more daughters to complete development and disperse to reduce future food competition intensity. This study provided knowledge on population dynamics in response to foundress population density and size in general and T. ludeni population forecast and precise timing of pest management in particular.