AbstractA computer model was written to simulate the population dynamics of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), on the host Maris Kestrel kale, Brassica oleracea L., at Vancouver, British Columbia. The model incorporated the effects of temperature, morph determination, plant quality, predators, parasites, and leaf fall. Comparisons of simulated results with field observations indicated that although B. brassicae, Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rond.), and Diaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh) were reasonably well understood, syrphid predation was not, and appropriate feed-back mechanisms which could prevent monotonic increase or decrease in the simulated population were lacking. A detailed study in which the population dynamics of the prey is accounted for in terms of the numerical and functional responses of syrphid predators is necessary to understand the population dynamics of B. brassicae on Maris Kestrel kale at Vancouver. Comparisons with other aphid systems suggest that a major change in one component of the system can be compensated for by changes in other components. An overview of the cabbage aphid system at Vancouver is given.
Seasonal fluctuations of population density of the cabbage aphid,Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), in the Netherlands, and the role of its parasite,Aphidius (Diaeretiella) rapae (Curtis)
