The Behavioral Ecology of Filter-Feeding Black Fly Larvae: Time-Activity Budgets and Determinants of Territoriality
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Authors
Maloney, Lisa
Issue Date
1982
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
A major concern of an animal's general ecology is the
manner in which it partitions its time between various behaviors.
Black fly larvae (Diptera: Simuliidae) serve as efficient models,
because their life cycle is characterized by an energy gathering
larval stage that is separate in morphology and habitat from
the reproductive adult stage. Therefore, it is possible to investigate the function of feeding behavior independently of
reproductive behavior. This study assesses the time larvae
spend in various activities, and looks at the role of aggression
in larval territorial behavior. It was discovered that larvae
spend the majority of their time actively filtering, which is
relatively insensitive to changes in food availability.
However, changes in the amount of time involved in aggressive
behavior was found to be closely related to food. In addition,
it was discovered that the frequency of aggression was maximal
at intermediale larval densities.
Description
vi, 32 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.