Estimation of the Mortalities of the Immature Stages

Abstract

Preceding chapters have described various methods for sampling the different developmental stages and age groups of mosquito populations. This and subsequent chapters are concerned with analysing the numerical changes that occur in population size during the life-cycle of mosquitoes, identifying the causes of mortalities, and determining the age structure and survival rates of pre-imaginal and adult populations. A comprehension of the growth and regulation of mosquito populations is essential for understanding their population dynamics. Measurement of the mortality that necessarily occurs during the lifecycle from egg to ovipositing female has interested ecologists and statisticians alike, and many of the techniques used are founded on mathematical probabilities.