Early Instar Growth and Survivorship in the Common Baskettail Dragonfly <em>Epitheca cynosura</em> (Anisoptera: Corduliidae).

<p>Egg masses of <em>Epitheca cynosura</em> were collected from Bays Mountain Park, Tennessee, USA, in June, 1999. Newly hatched individuals were placed into enclosures and sampled at scheduled time intervals throughout the summer. Enclosures were exposed to combinations of high and low densities and presence/absence of a second-year class <em>E. cynosura</em> predator. Survivorship, mean head widths, and mean dry masses were compared across treatments. Due to poor recovery of early-instar larvae, survivorship showed no significant differences in mortality among treatments. The predator present treatment caused significantly smaller head widths and dry masses only on days 42 and 55. The density treatment had a significant effect on larval growth from day 28 through day 86 (end of the experiment). Larvae from low density treatments had larger head widths and dry masses. The effects observed within the density treatments were likely to have resulted in a cohort split. Those individuals in the low density treatment followed a univoltine life history, and high density individuals followed a semivoltine life history. Density is probably a very important factor influencing the voltinism of <em>E. cynosura</em> at Bays Mounain Lake.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MS (Master of Science)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Reece, Bryan Arthur

• Odonata
• Density Dependence
• Biology
• Life Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/19

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-1055