Tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae) population dynamics and the estimation of mortality rates from life-table data

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Abstract
The estimation of tsetse fly mortality rates from life-table data is central to opulation dynamics studies and to the development of tsetse fly control programmes. For a population at equilibrium with a stable age distribution, the age-specific mortalities may be estimated directly from the number of individuals in each age class, but a correction must be applied when the population is growing or declining. Furthermore, if the mortality rates are changing with time, inaccuracies will be introduced into estimates of the mortality rates derived from the age structure of the population since the population will take time to reach a new stable age distribution. In this paper we use the Euler-Lotka equation, which relates the age-specific mortality and fecundity to the overall growth rate of the population, to study the loss rate of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes (Austen) as a function of pupal mortality, adult mortality and mortalities applied to each age class seperately. We then present a simulation model in order to quantity and to set limits on the precision of estimates of mortalities when the mortalities are themselves changing.