We tested the hypothesis that habitat drying reduces or eliminates the competitive advantage of Aedes albopictus over Aedes aegypti. The laboratory experiment consisted of initial cohorts of larvae consisting of (Ae. albopictus: Ae. aegypti)=52:0, 52:52, or 0:52. Larvae were distributed among four 150-ml cups in each cage, containing 120 ml of deionized water. Cages were randomly assigned one of two simulated precipitation regimes: Fluctuating - water in the cups evaporated to 50% of the initial water volume before refilling with deionized water; Drying - water in the cups evaporated completely, and cups remained dry for two weeks before refilling. Adults eclosed into the cage, where they mated, took blood meals, and oviposited in the cups.The experiment lasted 108 days, and we analyzed production of adults within cages in three 36-day periods of the experiment. There was a significant interaction of species combination and treatment for adult production of both Ae. abopictus and Ae. aegypti. In two-species cages, the advantage of Ae. albopictus over Ae. aegypti in adult production was significant and increased over time in the fluctuating environment. In the two-species cages in drying environments, Ae. albopictus had a slight advantage over Ae. aegypti in adult production early in the experiment, but later the two species produced roughly equal numbers of adults. The abundance of larvae was significantly effected by treatment for Ae. albopictus and species combination for Ae. aegypti. These results provide some support for the hypothesis that drying may promote local coexistence of these species.
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