Karandinos M G, Axtell R C
Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, 27607, Raleigh, N. C., U.S.A.
Oecologia. 1972 Dec;9(4):341-348. doi: 10.1007/BF00345337.
A schematic model is constructed illustrating the pathways and mechanisms of adult density effects on birth rate that have been reported to operate in various taxa of insects. With this model as a guide, experimetal data were collected from laboratory populations of Hippelates pusio Loew within the range of 0.15 to 25 flies per cm (sex ratio 1:1), which revealed: a) that adult density did not affect oviposition rate via competition for oviposition site, b) the rates of oviposition for virgin and mated females were not significantly different, and c) density did not affect frequency of copulation to a degree detectable in the hatchability of eggs. These data and previous knowledge on the reproductive biology of Hippelates pusio indicate that the birth rate of this species is independent of adult density, within then density range investigated.
