Effects of an introduced mosquito on juvenile Tigriopus californicus (Copepoda : Harpacticoidea) in supratidal pools

The distribution of the supratidal copepod Tigriopus californicus overlaps widely with that of larvae of the introduced mosquito Aedes togoi. Overlap in resource use suggests the possibility of negative interactions between t he two species. To test this possibility, we manipulated the abundance of m osquito larvae in the field and found that increasing the number of larvae reduced the number of copepodites present 28 days later. A laboratory grazi ng experiment demonstrated that individual A. togoi (instars 2-3) clear abo ut 25 times more water of algae than similarly sized T. californicus. Labor atory experiments also demonstrated that A. togoi can be a very efficient p redator of copepod nauplii. The selection imposed by age-specific predation on copepods may have some life-history consequences.