The caterpillars of Yponomeuta mahalebella Latr. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) are monophagous on Prunus mahaleb (Rosaceae) leaves. Adult females deposit eggs in batches, which determines larval gregarious behaviour. Coupled with gregarious behaviour, caterpillars spin silk tents within they will feed until pupation. Distribution of tents in the field, their effect in microenvironmental larval g...

the development times and the survival rates of different stages of habrobracon hebetor say reared on the last instar larvae of galleria mellonella (l.) were compared at ten different constant temperatures (16 - 38 âºc). the development time of immature stages of the parasitoid, h. hebetor, decreased as the temperature increased in the range of 16 to 38 âºc. however, no larvae could survive and...

According to the 'good genes' hypothesis, sexual ornaments provide an indication of the 'quality' of the bearer. In roach, Rutilus rutilus, breeding tubercles (BTs) may signal resistance against the digenean parasite, Rhipidocotyle campanula. Life history theory predicts that there should be a trade-off between parasite resistance and other life history traits. In roach, this could imply a trad...

Studies were made on the duration of the prehatch period of Boophilus decoloratus and on the subsequent survival and viability of larvae under natural conditions. The length of the prehatch and larval survival periods was found to be inversely dependent on increased temperature. A high initial temperature at the time of female drop decreased the prehatch period further, resulting in synchronous...

We conducted a mesocosm study to assess the individual and interactive effects of previous maternal exposure and larval exposure to trace element-laden sediments on southern toads (Bufo terrestris). Previous maternal exposure to coal combustion wastes (CCW) reduced larval survival to metamorphosis up to 57% compared to larvae of unexposed females. Larvae reared on CCW accumulated significant co...

The underlying influences of soil flooding, pH level and soil-inhabiting Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) root weevil larval feeding in citrus were examined in two separate greenhouse studies, rootstock flooding Diaprepes-larvae (RFD) and liming rootstock flooding Diaprepes-larvae (LRFD). Our objectives were to determine the combined effects of soil flooding and pH level on survival and growth of Dia...

Due to vertical variations in ocean circulation, larval Northeast Arctic cod Gadus morhua may influence their own drift routes by migrating vertically. By coupling a larval individualbased model and a general circulation model, we simulated larval vertical positioning according to simple rules based on individual risk sensitivity. This enabled us to investigate how larval growth, survival and h...

Insect larvae that live in temporary ponds must cope with a rapidly diminishing resource. We tested the hypothesis that floodwater mosquitoes would react to diminishing water levels by accelerating larval development time and emerging as smaller adults. Since a reduction in habitat size leads to increased larval densities, we also included two larval densities. Newly-hatched floodwater mosquito...

Competition between corals and macroalgae is often assumed to occur on reefs, especially those that have undergone shifts from coral to algal dominance; however, data examining these competitive interactions, especially during the early life-history stages of corals, are scarce. We conducted a series of field and outdoor seawater-table experiments to test the hypothesis that allelopathy (chemic...

Metamorphosis is thought to provide an adaptive decoupling between traits specialized for each life-history stage in species with complex life cycles. However, an increasing number of studies are finding that larval traits can carry-over to influence postmetamorphic performance, suggesting that these life-history stages may not be free to evolve independently of each other. We used a phenotypic...