Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Biology
Date of Award
8-2000
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Dan M. Johnson
Committee Members
Karl H. Joplin, Foster Levy
Abstract
Egg masses of Epitheca cynosura 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 E. cynosura 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 E. cynosura at Bays Mounain Lake.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Reece, Bryan Arthur, "Early Instar Growth and Survivorship in the Common Baskettail Dragonfly Epitheca cynosura (Anisoptera: Corduliidae)." (2000). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 19. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/19
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.