Dynamics of an Isolated Population of Aedes Triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). I. Population size1

Abstract

A discrete population of Aedes triseriatus was studied in a 10.1-ha woodlot containing 108 tree holes. First, all tree holes were examined weekly and pupae were counted. In 1975, 1790 female pupae were produced. Assuming a daily survivorship rate of 0.87, 825 females were estimated to be in the population at the end of the summer. Second, adult females were captured, marked, released, and recaptured. Recovery rates of marked mosquitoes were 24–45%. Dispersal studies showed that movement within the woodlot was nearly random but that movement between woodlots did not occur; the study site was thus an ecological island. In order to make an indirect estimate of population size, 3 series of collections were made during the summer of 1975, spanning 10, 10, and 6 days. The Jolly method was the best of 3 models tested for estimating absolute numbers. At the end of the summer of 1975, we estimated that 1225 females were present. This figure matched well with the independently derived results from pupal counts. This is the first time that an independent check has been used to determine the accuracy of mark-release-recapture methods for determining size of mosquito populations.