Blaustein Leon, Kiflawi Moshe, Eitam Avi, Mangel Marc, Cohen Joel E
Community Ecology Laboratory, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 31905 Haifa, Israel.
Oecologia. 2004 Jan;138(2):300-5. doi: 10.1007/s00442-003-1398-x. Epub 2003 Nov 27.
Natural selection should favor females that avoid ovipositing where risk of predation is high for their progeny. Despite the large consequences of such oviposition behavior for individual fitness, population dynamics, and community structure, relatively few studies have tested for this behavior. Moreover, these studies have rarely assessed the mode of detection of predators, compared responses in prey species that vary in vulnerability to predators, or tested for the behavior in natural habitats. In an outdoor artificial pool experiment, we tested the oviposition responses of two dipteran species, Culiseta longiareolata (mosquito) and Chironomus riparius (midge), to the hemipteran predator, Notonecta maculata. Both dipteran species have similar life history characteristics, but Culiseta longiareolata larvae are highly vulnerable to predation by Notonecta, while Chironomus riparius larvae are not. As their vulnerabilities would suggest, Culiseta longiareolata, but not Chironomus riparius, strongly avoided ovipositing in pools containing Notonecta. An experiment in natural rock pools assessing oviposition by Culiseta longiareolata in response to Notonecta maculata yielded an oviposition pattern highly consistent with that of the artificial pool experiment. We also demonstrated that the cue for oviposition avoidance by Culiseta longiareolata was a predator-released chemical: Notonecta water (without Notonecta replenishment) repelled oviposition for 8 days. Oviposition avoidance and mode of detection of the predator have important implications for how to assess the true impact of predators and for the use of commercially produced kairomones for mosquito control.
自然选择应青睐那些避免在后代被捕食风险高的地方产卵的雌性。尽管这种产卵行为对个体适合度、种群动态和群落结构有重大影响，但相对较少的研究测试过这种行为。此外，这些研究很少评估捕食者的检测模式，比较不同易受捕食者攻击程度的猎物物种的反应，或在自然栖息地测试这种行为。在一项户外人工池塘实验中，我们测试了两种双翅目物种，长角库蚊（蚊子）和摇蚊，对半翅目捕食者黄斑仰泳蝽的产卵反应。这两种双翅目物种具有相似的生活史特征，但长角库蚊幼虫极易被黄斑仰泳蝽捕食，而摇蚊幼虫则不会。正如它们的易受攻击程度所表明的那样，长角库蚊强烈避免在含有黄斑仰泳蝽的池塘中产卵，而摇蚊则没有。一项在天然岩石池塘中评估长角库蚊对黄斑仰泳蝽反应的产卵实验产生了与人工池塘实验高度一致的产卵模式。我们还证明，长角库蚊避免产卵的线索是捕食者释放的一种化学物质：黄斑仰泳蝽的水体（无黄斑仰泳蝽补充）在8天内都能驱避产卵。产卵回避和捕食者的检测模式对于如何评估捕食者的真正影响以及对于使用商业生产的引诱剂来控制蚊子具有重要意义。
