DYNAMIC-MODEL COMPARING THE BIONOMICS OF 2 ISOLATED CULEX-TARSALIS (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) POPULATIONS - SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

A simulation model described (Eisenberg et al. 1994a) was used to comp are the population dynamics of Culex tarsalis Coquillett in the Coache lla and southern portion of the San Joaquin Valleys of California. Mod el outputs were classified as a pass if they met criteria that defined typical seasonal abundance patterns established by CO2 and New Jersey light trap data. The sensitivity of this classification to the model parameters was assessed by running multiple simulations for each valle y site. Parameter sets associated with a pass were first analyzed sepa rately for each valley and then compared. The two study sites were dis tinguished by the distributional characteristics of two parameters ass ociated with temperature dependency. One of these parameters described the temperature dependence of larval mortality and the other the temp erature dependence of adult egg development. We hypothesize that these isolated Cx. tarsalis populations evolved separately to maximize surv ival in their respective temperature regimes by adapting to different optimal larval survival temperatures and egg-development rates.