Invertebrate carcasses as a resource for competing Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera : Culicidae)

However, little is known of the role of these carcasses in other containers , which also receive leaf fall and stemflow inputs. This experiment investi gated effects of accumulated invertebrate carcasses as a resource for two c ompeting mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) whethe r either species differentially benefited from accumulated carcasses, and i f such a benefit affected interspecific competition. First, we measured acc umulation of invertebrate carcasses in standard containers at a field site. We then used a replacement series with five different species ratios at th e same total density: and varied the input of invertebrate carcasses [dead Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) ] in three levels: none, the average input from our field site, or the maximum input recorded at our field site. Surv ivorship, development time, and mass were measured for each mosquito specie s as correlates of population growth, and were used to calculate a populati on performance index, lambda'. There were strong positive effects of invert ebrate carcass additions on all growth correlates and lambda'. Differences in performance between species were pronounced in small or no carcass addit ions and absent in large inputs of invertebrate carcasses, but there was li ttle evidence that inputs of invertebrate carcasses altered the competitive advantage in this system. These results suggest that terrestrial invertebr ate carcasses may be an important resource for many types of container comm unities, and large accumulations of dead invertebrates may: reduce resource competition between these mosquitoes. thus favoring coexistence. We propos e that the total amount of resource, including accumulated invertebrate car casses, may explain observed patterns of replacement involving these mosqui toes.