I investigated the effects of a top predator, Mecistogaster spp. (Odonata: Pseudostigmatidae), on survivorship of the grazer Culex mollis (Diptera: Culicidae) and decomposition rates of leaf litter in treehole microcosms. In a factorial experiment using 200 ml cups, less litter mass remained when grazers (51%) and grazers plus predators (51%) were present, than without grazers (57%). Predators reduced mosquito survival, but had no indirect effect on litter decomposition rate. Mosquito larvae facilitated decomposition of litter and may have become food limited.
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Stephen P. Yanoviak (1999) studied this question.
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