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COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN BACKSWIMMERS (HEMIPTERA, NOTONECTIDAE) OF THE SOUTHWEST: A GROUP OF PREDACEOUS AQUATIC INSECTS (STOCHASTIC MODEL, DETERMINISTIC MODEL, GUILD STRUCTURE, EPHEMERAL HABITATS, SONORAN DESERT, ARIZONA, MEXICO). Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors LARSEN, ERIC CHARLES. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 03:31:46 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/183822 INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a manuscript sent to us for publication and microfilming. 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Other______________________________ __ University Microfilms International COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN BACKSWIMMERS (HEMIPTERA, NOTON' ';TIDAE) OF THE SOUTHWEST: A GROUP OF PREDACEOUS AQUATIC INSECTS by ERIC CHARLES LARSEN A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirments For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 986 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Eric Larsen entitled Community Structure of Backswimmers (Hemiptera, Notonectidae) in the Southwest: A Group of Predaceous Aquatic Insects and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date <lgf Date4:d'f/ 'f-lj-% Date Date Date Fin~~ approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I have read this dissertation prepared under my that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or- her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests/of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission MUst be obtained from the author. SIGNED: s-<- ~ ----~--~------~~--~----------- ACKNOWLEGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible if it were not for the steadfast interest and support of Dr. Charles H. Lowe. lowe him many thanks and much appreciation, not only for his support in times when it was hard to find, but for continually challenging my interpretations of fact, and attempting to separate wishful thinking from reality. My association with him, and others in the department, have shown me the absolute necessity of a firm understanding of your beast's natural history in order to do meaningful ecology; his lesson was by good example ••• Dr. Robert L. Smith was a continual source of encouragment, and a thoughtful sounding board for my ideas. I thank him for friendship, lively and candid discussion, and for not aggressively trying to "direct" as my dissertation director. It is unclear to me, but perhaps not to others, that I would ~enefit greatly by more firm direction from more senior sCientists, not because they have little to teach me, but because I have difficulty accepting wisdom that would alter a path I have already chosen. I'm sure my work could be better, but I had fun. Throughout my tenure at Arizona, conversations with Drs. Bill Heed and Bill Nutting stand out as models for faculty-graduate student interactions. I thank them for their enthusiasm and friendship. Dr. Don Thomson's thoughtful criticism and position as resident devil's advocate are much appreciated. His difficult-to-persuade attitude was i11 iv responsible more than anything else for the actual inclusion of experiments. The final product is better as a result of his comments. Two field companions were directly responsible for me learning more field biology, desert and semi-tropical, than I ever could have on my own. Dennis Cornejo and Linda Leigh, not only taught me as much plant ecology as they could on our exciting travels, but they were excellent friends as well. The final "hell ride" of the little red truck is a fitting memorial to our association. Carl Olson deserves special thanks for many hours spent identifying aquatic bugs and beetles for me, and checking and correcting my id's. Barbara Harney assisted me in many ways as a friend and colleague, especially as a fine critic of the written word. I can't thank her, trusty Jeep, and Darwin enough. I thank Caroline Wilson, Chief Interpreter at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Joann Berben, Veronique Delesalle, and T. C. Gibson for companionship and assistance with data collection, primarily in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. To the entire staff of ORPI, Harold Smith, Superintendant, Bill Mikus, Resource Management Specialist, and particularly Terry Peters, former Resource Management SpeCialist, I extend my sincere gratitude and thanks for their assistance. Additionally, I thank Tom Gibson for many long and fruitful discussions during my early years in Tucson. Lastly, I thank Dr. Jim Brown. It was his exciting work with desert rodents that lured me to Arizona, and although I didn't continue with my original plan to work on rodents, I thank him for making it possible for me to discover the joys of notonectids in the Southwest. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES ix ABSTRACT . xi 1. INTRODUCTION The Notonectidae 3 Life History 7 Study Area . 9 Habitats 1 1 2. METHODS . 14 Habitat Selection, and Non-random Immigration 16 Community Structure 18 Predation Experiments 22 3. RESULTS 24 Distribution in Arizona 24 Habitat Selection and Non-random Immigration 32 Seasonality and Abundance 45 Tinajas . 45 Ponds 51 Community Structure and Body Size Patterns 55 Further Evidence for Body Size and Competition 64 The Effect of Predation • • • • • • • 68 v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS--(Continued) Page 4. DISCUSSION 74 Habitat Selection 78 Competition 80 5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 88 APPENDIX 1 • 93 APPENDIX 2 98 APPENDIX 3 109 APPENDIX 4 115 APPENDIX 5 116 APPENDIX 6 117 APPENDIX 7 119 APPENDIX 8 123 LITERATURE CITED 125 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Frequency of occurrence of notonectids in tinajas and ponds in southern Arizona ••••• 33 2. Geographic distribution of notonectid species collected in Arizona, USA, and Sonora, Mexico 35 3. Numbers of notonectids in artificial habitats in southern Arizona . 37 4. Frequency of occurrence in lowland and montane stock tanks as a function of tank size •• • • 37 5. Numbers of notonectid species sampled in three transplant trials •••••••••••••• 39 6. Results of the multiple regression analysis of relative abundance of notonectid species ••••• 44 7.