Population responses to extrinsic mortality can yield no change in the number of survivors (compensation) or an increase in the number of survivors (overcompensation) when the population is regulated by negative density‐dependence. This intriguing response has been the subject of theoretical studies, but few experiments have explored how the source of extrinsic mortality affects the response. This study tests abilities of three functionally diverse predators, alone and combined, to induce (over)compensation of a prey population. Larval Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) were exposed to predation by Mesocyclops longisetus (Crustacea: Copepoda), Anopheles barberi (Diptera: Culicidae), Corethrella appendiculata (Diptera: Corethrellidae), all three in a substitutive design, or no predation. Predator treatment had no significant effect on the total number of adult survivors, nor on numbers of surviving males or females. The female development rate and a composite index of performance (r′) were greater with predation relative to no‐predator control. No differences were detected between diverse and single‐species predator treatments. Sensitivity analyses indicated predation effects on the number of female adults produced, despite not being affected significantly, was the largest contributing factor to significant treatment effects on the demographic index r′. While predation did not significantly increase the production of adults, it did release survivors from density‐dependent effects sufficiently to increase population performance. This study provides an empirical test of mechanisms by which predation may yield positive mortality effects on victim populations, a phenomenon predicted to occur across many taxa and food webs.

中文翻译：

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捕食产生更大的种群表现：密度和性状介导的影响有哪些贡献？

当人口受负密度依赖性调节时，人口对外在死亡率的反应不会导致幸存者数量（补偿）或幸存者数量增加（过度补偿）。这种有趣的反应一直是理论研究的主题，但很少有实验探索外在死亡率的来源如何影响反应。这项研究测试了三种功能多样的捕食者（单独和组合）诱导（过度）补偿猎物种群的能力。埃及伊蚊幼虫（双翅目：Culicidae）暴露于 Mesocyclops longisetus（甲壳纲：桡足类）、Anopheles barberi（双翅目：Culicidae）、Corethrella appendiculata（双翅目：Corethrellidae）的捕食，所有这三种都采用替代设计，或者没有捕食。捕食者治疗对成年幸存者的总数以及幸存的男性或女性人数没有显着影响。相对于无捕食者控制，捕食者的雌性发育率和综合性能指数（r'）更高。不同物种和单一物种捕食者处理之间未检测到差异。敏感性分析表明，捕食对生产的成年女性数量的影响尽管没有受到显着影响，但却是对人口指数 r' 的显着治疗影响的最大促成因素。虽然捕食并没有显着增加成虫的产量，但它确实使幸存者从密度依赖性效应中解脱出来，足以提高种群表现。