Effects of Temperature and Food Quality on Growth and Development of a Mayfly,Leptophlebia intermedia

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Abstract
Larval development, adult size, and fecundity of Leptophlebia intermedia were assessed in response to rearing on five diets (hickory, white ash, red oak, chestnut oak, and American beech leaves) at each of three temperature regimes (ambient White Clay Creek temperatures (WCC) and 3 and 6°C above WCC). Developmental time was shortened about 40–50 d by elevating creek temperatures 6 °C, but varied only about 20–30 d over the range of diets for any given temperature. Adult size was influenced more by diet than temperature. Adult female weights differed among diets by about 1.5 mg for any given temperature regime. In contrast, female weights varied by only about 0.6 mg among temperatures for any given diet. The proportion of total female weight allocated to eggs increased with adult size and ranged from 0.12 to 0.45 depending on diet and temperature. In general, hickory and white ash diets consistently yielded the highest survival and largest adults, while the highest mortality and poorest growth occurred on the red oak and American beech diets.
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