PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #6: Insect Population and Community Ecology: Interactions, foodwebs.
Presiding: M. Hunter
Monday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Apache Meeting Room, TCC.
Coexistence of competing insect populations via interaction with natural enemies.
Wearing, Helen*,1, Rohani, Pejman1, Sait, Steven2, Cameron, Tom2, 1 University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia2 University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K.
ABSTRACT- Understanding the factors that determine the coexistence of competing species has long been of interest in ecology. In this talk, we focus on the role that natural enemies may play in facilitating the coexistence of competing insect species. In particular, we are motivated by laboratory studies of two stored product moths, the Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) and the almond moth (Ephestia cautella), and two common natural enemies (a hymenopteran parasitoid and a pathogen). We outline our approach to modeling this system using stage-structured differential equations; specifically we consider the interaction between the host species both in the absence and presence of natural enemies. The two themes of particular interest are the consequences of sequential species invasion and phase-dependence in community assembly.
KEY WORDS: coexistence, natural enemies, stage structure, invasion