Abstract
German cockroaches spend most of the day in aggregations within shelters, which they leave in nocturnal foraging trips; cockroaches are rarely seen outside shelters during daylight hours. However, when population density exceeds shelter availability, diurnal aggregations form in exposed, unsheltered locations. To determine if shelter availability affects fitness of B. germanica, we reared cohorts of nymphs in laboratory arenas with or without shelters, and measured reproduction and longevity of tagged adults. When shelters were available in arenas, nymphs developed faster, adults gained more body mass, and females produced more fertile oothecae than when arenas lacked shelters. Therefore, shelter alone has a significant positive effect on growth and reproduction of B. germanica, and reducing or eliminating shelters should affect population growth of B. germanica in residential and industrial set- tings.
Highlights
Blattella germanica forages at night and spends the major part of the day hiding in narrow spaces (Silverman, 1986; DeMark & Bennett, 1994)
Various social interactions of B. germanica are closely associated with the use of shelter — aggregation (Ishii & Kuwahara, 1968; Wileyto et al, 1984), coprophagy and sharing of intestinal symbionts, acoustic communication (Wijenberg et al, 2008), trail following (Miller & Koehler, 2000; Jeanson & Deneubourg, 2007), spatial orientation (Rivault & Durier, 2004), and reproduction (Bret et al, 1983)
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of shelter availability on life history parameters of individual B. germanica
Summary
Blattella germanica forages at night and spends the major part of the day hiding in narrow spaces (shelters or harborages) (Silverman, 1986; DeMark & Bennett, 1994). Hiding within a shelter is probably an adaptation to reduce the risk of predation. This behavior may confer other advantages such as providing favorable humidity and temperature conditions (Schal et al, 1984; Rust et al, 1995; Dambach & Goehlen, 1999; Danks, 2002; Bell et al, 2007; Lihoreau & Rivault, 2008). Various social interactions of B. germanica are closely associated with the use of shelter — aggregation (Ishii & Kuwahara, 1968; Wileyto et al, 1984), coprophagy and sharing of intestinal symbionts (reviewed for Dictyoptera by Nalepa et al, 2001), acoustic communication (Wijenberg et al, 2008), trail following (Miller & Koehler, 2000; Jeanson & Deneubourg, 2007), spatial orientation (Rivault & Durier, 2004), and reproduction (Bret et al, 1983). Despite the importance of shelters in the life-history of B. germanica, attempts to control its populations by limiting shelter availability have been unsuccessful (Farmer & Robinson, 1984)
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