We investigate factors that influence natural population
abundance, focusing on species interactions and the
evolution of properties that affect the potential for
population growth. Most of our experimental work is done
with container-breeding mosquito populations, particularly
within the genera Ochlerotatus* and
Aedes. The treehole habitat and its most common
species provide a convenient system for addressing basic
ecological and evolutionary questions.
Research problems. We have examined a variety of
interactions within and between species. Basic ecological
questions concern mechanisms for population regulation,
consequences of interactions among different developmental
stages to regulation, and the impact of species
interactions on coexistence and extinction. Evolutionary
questions focus on how population growth properties evolve,
particularly those traits that result in variable length of
life cycle stages. Much of our experimental work has dealt
with the following specific topics:
Inhibition of
Aedes and Ochlerotatus mosquito egg
hatch by larvae
Competition between the North
American native, Ochlerotatus triseriatus,
and the invading Aedes albopictus
Predation by the mosquitoes,
Toxorhynchites rutilus and Anopheles
barberi, on container-breeding Aedes and
Ochlerotatus
Responses of egg-laying female mosquitoes
to the density of larvae
Factors maintaining the highly variable timing of egg
hatch in Ochlerotatus triseriatus
mosquitoes.
Invasion ecology--
tracking the course of mosquito invasions in North
America and Bermuda
*Ochlerotatus is a new genus that includes
triseriatus. It was not adopted until the late 90s,
so many earlier references to the treehole mosquito use the
name Aedes
triseriatus. Consequently, you will find the old genus
name in many of Livdahl's publications, as well as in
occasional spots in this web site that have yet not been
detected and changed. And it's not completely clear whether
the name should be changed. At least one journal,
J. Vector
Ecol., does not
accept the new name.
