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Growth and regulation of springtail populations, with special reference to predation by pseudoscorpions

University of British Columbia

The effects of predation by a pseudoscorpion, Apochthonius minimus, on growing populations of springtails, Folsomia Candida, were studied experimentally. Analysis of individual springtail growth over time provided a technique for determining prey age. Predation rates and the degree of size-selection by the predator were measured. It was shown that the predators prefer older prey individuals and that this preference may result in higher densities of prey juveniles. Baseline data on population dynamics, population distributions, dispersal, species composition of the microarthropod community in the study area, soil moisture and weather were provided.

Text

2010-03-19

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22141

Plant Science

University of British Columbia

Graduate