AN EXPERIMENTAL SEPARATION OF INTERFERENCE AND EXPLOITATIVE COMPETITION IN A LARVAL DAMSELFLY

Enallagma boreale became more evenly distributed among available perches as the density per perch increased, demonstrating behavioural responses to the manipulation of habitat complexity. Food supply and damselfly density strongly affected survival, timing of emergence and mass at emergence, but the proportion of the variation in these performance variables attributable to the habitat complexity manipulation was tiny. Despite the overt nature of the interactions among individuals, the costs appear to be very low. -from Author