![]() For example, a quick search in Experimental and Applied Acarology yielded 53 life-table studies of predatory mites, of which 62.3% mentioned biological control as ultimate target and a further 13.2% mentioned integrated pest management. Population effects of stressors are increasingly studied using life tables (Forbes and Calow 2002 Stark and Banks 2003), and there is also a traditional, large and growing body of experimental work assessing the intrinsic rates of natural increase and other life-history parameters of predatory mites as natural enemies of arthropod pests. Life-history phenomena such as mortality and fertility patterns, as well as the age at which they occur, are crucial in understanding the population dynamics of species (Cole 1954 Caswell 2001). Depending on the chosen precision, significant amounts of experimental time can be saved without seriously compromising the reliability of the estimated growth parameter. ![]() Based on this choice, the procedure helps the researcher to decide when a life-table experiment can be terminated. We propose a new method for estimating r m from partial life tables, in which the researcher can choose a level of precision based on a stand-in measure of relative error. Using selected studies of predatory mites with suitable life-table data, we investigated whether and how measurements of growth rates can be simplified. However, such experiments are often time consuming and may critically depend on the precise assessment of the developmental time and the fecundity rate early in the reproductive phase. Life-table experiments under controlled laboratory conditions are standard procedures to estimate r m. ![]() It is considered especially important in studies of predators that are potential biological control agents of fast-growing pests such as mites, whiteflies and thrips. The intrinsic rate of natural increase of a population ( r m) has been in focus as a key parameter in entomology and acarology. ![]()
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