Effects of relative humidity on the development, reproduction and population growth of Araecerus fascilatus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae)
Author of the article:YANG Shuai** ZHANG Tao GAO Yu-Lin MEI Xiang-Dong NING Jun***
Author's Workplace:State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Key Words:Araecerus fascilatus, relative humidity, development, fecundity, life table
Abstract:
[Objectives] To investigate the effects of relative humidity on the development, fecundity, and growth, of a laboratory population of Araecerus fascilatus. [Methods] The development and subsequent fecundity of larvae and pupae of A. fascilatus reared at 30%, 45%, 60%, 75%, 90% r.h. were monitored and compared. [Results] Higher relative humidity was associated with a shorter larval stage, increased survival and higher adult female fecundity. The shortest developmental duration, and highest survival, adult longevity and fecundity, were observed in larvae and pupae that were kept at 90%RH. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) ranged from 0.209 to 0.330 and was highest at 75%r.h., The net reproductive rate (R0) ranged from 9.653~73.493 and was highest at 90% RH. The relationships between rm, Ro and relative humidity were good fits to the logistic models y=0.32/1+exp(1.71-0.07x) (R2=0.90442, P=0.00201) and y=78.13/1+exp(5.03-0.09x) (R2=0.98931, P=0.00213), respectively. [Conclusion] The results suggest that relative humidity is a factor influencing the reproduction and phenology of Araecerus fascilatus, and that incorporating this in population models may improve their accuracy and predictive power.