An ‘ecological trap’ for yellow warbler nest microhabitat selection

Contrary to assumptions of habitat selection theory, field studies frequently detect ‘ecological traps’, where animals prefer habitats conferring lower fitness than available alternatives. Evidence for traps includes cases where birds prefer breeding habitats associated with relatively high nest predation rates despite the importance of nest survival to avian fitness. Because birds select breeding habitat at multiple spatial scales, the processes underlying traps for birds are likely scale‐dependent. We studied a potential ecological trap for a population of yellow warblers Dendroica petechia while paying specific attention to spatial scale. We quantified nest microhabitat preference by comparing nest‐ versus random‐site microhabitat structure and related preferred microhabitat features with nest survival. Over a nine‐year study period and three study sites, we found a consistently negative relationship between preferred microhabitat patches and nest survival rates. Data from experimental nests described a similar relationship, corroborating the apparent positive relationship between preferred microhabitat and nest predation. As do other songbirds, yellow warblers select breeding habitat in at least two steps at two spatial scales; (1) they select territories at a coarser spatial scale and (2) nest microhabitats at a finer scale from within individual territories. By comparing nest versus random sites within territories, we showed that maladaptive nest microhabitat preferences arose during within‐territory nest site selection (step 2). Furthermore, nest predation rates varied at a fine enough scale to provide individual yellow warblers with lower‐predation alternatives to preferred microhabitats. Given these results, tradeoffs between nest survival and other fitness components are unlikely since fitness components other than nest survival are probably more relevant to territory‐scale habitat selection. Instead, exchanges of individuals among populations facing different predation regimes, the recent proliferation of the parasitic brown‐headed cowbird Molothrus ater, and/or anthropogenic changes to riparian vegetation structure are more likely explanations.     

Differential responses to predator cues between two mosquito species breeding in different habitats

1. Natural selection favours females who can correctly assess the predation risk and hence avoid high‐risk oviposition sites and reduce the mortality rate of their offspring. In spite of the potential significance of such behaviour, relatively few studies have assessed the relationship between oviposition behaviour and predation risk. 2. The present study aimed to determine the sublethal effects of predators on oviposition site selection by gravid females, the foraging activity of larvae, and the life history traits of two mosquito species that breed in different habitats, Aedes albopictus Skuse (container breeder) and Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (wetland breeder). 3. Female C. tritaeniorhynchus avoided laying eggs at oviposition sites in the presence of a predator cue. In contrast, female A. albopictus laid eggs in both the absence and presence of the predator cue. 4. To examine the effects of predator cues on larval behaviour, experiments were conducted in the absence and presence of a predator cue. Although larval activity was lower in the presence of the predator cue than that in its absence in both species, C. tritaeniorhynchus responded to the predator cue more strongly than A. albopictus. Female A. albopictus that had been reared with caged predators exhibited an extended larval development period, whereas the adult C. tritaeniorhynchus reared in the presence of predators were smaller than those reared in their absence. 5. This finding might explain why C. tritaeniorhynchus avoid laying eggs in predator‐conditioned water, for example to increase the fitness of their offspring, but A. albopictus either cannot detect predator cues or are not sensitive to them.     

Nonideal nest box selection by tree swallows breeding in farmlands: Evidence for an ecological trap?

Animals are expected to select a breeding habitat using cues that should reflect, directly or not, the fitness outcome of the different habitat options. However, human‐induced environmental changes can alter the relationships between habitat characteristics and their fitness consequences, leading to maladaptive habitat choices. The most severe case of such nonideal habitat selection is the ecological trap, which occurs when individuals prefer to settle in poor‐quality habitats while better ones are available. Here, we studied the adaptiveness of nest box selection in a tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) population breeding over a 10‐year period in a network of 400 nest boxes distributed along a gradient of agricultural intensification in southern Québec, Canada. We first examined the effects of multiple environmental and social habitat characteristics on nest box preference to identify potential settlement cues. We then assessed the links between those cues and habitat quality as defined by the reproductive performance of individuals that settled early or late in nest boxes. We found that tree swallows preferred nesting in open habitats with high cover of perennial forage crops, high spring insect biomass, and high density of house sparrows (Passer domesticus), their main competitors for nest sites. They also preferred nesting where the density of breeders and their mean number of fledglings during the previous year were high. However, we detected mismatches between preference and habitat quality for several environmental variables. The density of competitors and conspecific social information showed severe mismatches, as their relationships to preference and breeding success went in opposite direction under certain circumstances. Spring food availability and agricultural landscape context, while related to preferences, were not related to breeding success. Overall, our study emphasizes the complexity of habitat selection behavior and provides evidence that multiple mechanisms may potentially lead to an ecological trap in farmlands.     

Parent-offspring conflicts, "optimal bad motherhood" and the "mother knows best" principles in insect herbivores colonizing novel host plants

SPECIALIZATION OF INSECT HERBIVORES TO ONE OR A FEW HOST PLANTS STIMULATED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO HYPOTHESES ON HOW NATURAL SELECTION SHOULD SHAPE OVIPOSITION PREFERENCES: The "mother knows best" principle suggests that females prefer to oviposit on hosts that increase offspring survival. The "optimal bad motherhood" principle predicts that females prefer to oviposit on hosts that increase their own longevity. In insects colonizing novel host plants, current theory predicts that initial preferences of insect herbivores should be maladaptive, leading to ecological traps. Ecological trap theory does not take into account the fact that insect lineages frequently switch hosts at both ecological and evolutionary time scales. Therefore, the behavior of insect herbivores facing novel hosts is also shaped by natural selection. Using a study system in which four Cephaloleia beetles are currently expanding their diets from native to exotic plants in the order Zingiberales, we determined if initial oviposition preferences are conservative, maladaptive, or follow the patterns predicted by the "mother knows best" or the "optimal bad motherhood" principles. Interactions with novel hosts generated parent-offspring conflicts. Larval survival was higher on native hosts. However, adult generally lived longer on novel hosts. In Cephaloleia beetles, oviposition preferences are usually associated with hosts that increase larval survival, female fecundity, and population growth. In most cases, Cephaloleia oviposition preferences follow the expectations of the "mothers knows best" principle.     

The role of parasitoids in evolution of habitat and larval food plant preference by three Pieris butterflies

This article attempts to explain that parasitoids provide the evolutionary pressure responsible for relationships between habitat use and larval food plant use in herbivorous insects. Three species of butterflies of the genus Pieris, P. rapae, P. melete, and P. napi use different sets of cruciferous plants. They prefer different habitats composed of similar sets of cruciferous plants. In our study, P. rapae used temporary habitats with ephemeral plants, P. melete used permanent habitat with persistent plants, although they also used temporary habitats, and P. napi used only permanent habitat. The choice experiment in the field cages indicated that each of the three butterfly species avoided oviposition on plants usually unused in its own habitat, but accepted the unused plants which grew outside its own habitat. Their habitat use and plant use were not explained by intrinsic plant quality examined in terms of larval performance. Pieris larvae collected from persistent plants or more long lasting habitats were more heavily parasitized by two specialist parasitoids, the braconid wasp Cotesia glomerata and the tachinid fly Epicampocera succincta. The results suggest that Pieris habitat and larval food plant use patterns can be explained by two principles. The evolution of habitat preference may have been driven by various factors including escape from parasitism. Once habitat preference has evolved, selection favors the evolution of larval food plant preferences by discriminating against unsuitable plants, including those which are associated with high parasitism pressures. Received: December 3, 1998 / Accepted: January 20, 1999     

Oviposition Site Selection in the Malayan Giant Frog (Limnonectes blythii) in Singapore: Conservation Implications

Amphibians require specific habitats for breeding and loss or degradation of such habitats can negatively affect reproductive success. Oviposition site selection within a habitat is also important as site quality is linked to larval survivorship and metamorphic success. We investigated oviposition site preferences of the stream-breeding frog Limnonectes blythii in Singapore through surveys and habitat measurements of breeding and non-breeding sites(N = 30 and 32, respectively). The study species L. blythii is classified as Near Threatened(NT) in the IUCN red list and is associated with medium sized forest streams. L. blythii appeared to prefer streams with higher water p H and shallower water depths for oviposition. Our findings have implications in conservation management as it provides the baseline for habitat restoration for creation of new and for preserving existing breeding habitat of L. blythii.     

Incorporating density dependence into the oviposition preference-offspring performance hypothesis

1. Although theory predicts a positive relationship between oviposition preferences and the developmental performance of offspring, the strength of this relationship may depend not only on breeding site quality, but also on the complex interactions between environmental heterogeneity and density-dependent processes. Environmental heterogeneity may not only alter the strength of density dependence, but may also fundamentally alter density-dependent relationships and the preference-performance relationship. 2. Here I present results from a series of field experiments testing the effects of environmental heterogeneity and density-dependent feedback on offspring performance in tree-hole mosquitoes. Specifically, I asked: (i) how do oviposition activity, patterns of colonization and larval density differ among habitats and among oviposition sites with different resources; and (ii) how is performance influenced by the density of conspecifics, the type of resource in the oviposition site, and the type of habitat in which the oviposition site is located? 3. Performance did not differ among habitats at low offspring densities, but was higher in deciduous forest habitats than in evergreen forest habitats at high densities. Oviposition activity and larval densities were also higher in deciduous forests, suggesting a weak preference for these habitats. 4. The observed divergence of fitness among habitats with increasing density may select for consistent but weak preferences for deciduous habitats if regional abundances vary temporally. This would generate a negative preference-performance relationship when population densities are low, but a positive relationship when population densities are high. 5. This study demonstrates that failure to recognize that fitness differences among habitats may themselves be density-dependent may bias our assumptions about the ecological and evolutionary processes determining oviposition preferences in natural systems.     

How the type of anthropogenic change alters the consequences of ecological traps

Understanding altered ecological and evolutionary dynamics in novel environments is vital for predicting species responses to rapid environmental change. One fundamental concept relevant to such dynamics is the ecological trap, which arises from rapid anthropogenic change and can facilitate extinction. Ecological traps occur when formerly adaptive habitat preferences become maladaptive because the cues individuals preferentially use in selecting habitats lead to lower fitness than other alternatives. While it has been emphasized that traps can arise from different types of anthropogenic change, the resulting consequences of these different types of traps remain unknown. Using a novel model framework that builds upon the Price equation from evolutionary genetics, we provide the first analysis that contrasts the ecological and evolutionary consequences of ecological traps arising from two general types of perturbations known to trigger traps. Our model suggests that traps arising from degradation of existing habitats are more likely to facilitate extinction than those arising from the addition of novel trap habitat. Importantly, our framework reveals the mechanisms of these outcomes and the substantial scope for persistence via rapid evolution that may buffer many populations from extinction, helping to resolve the paradox of continued persistence of many species in dramatically altered landscapes.     

Relating larval distributions to patterns of oviposition: evidence from lotic hydrobiosid caddisflies

1. To assess the influence of oviposition patterns on distributions of hydrobiosid caddisfly larvae, abundances of three hydrobiosid caddisfly species were estimated in whole reaches with and without suitable oviposition substrata along an upland temperate Australian stream. In addition, within‐reach spatial patterns were examined in relation to known oviposition locations as well as flow characteristics that corresponded to oviposition preferences. 2. Larval abundances in all samples were low relative to previous estimates of egg inputs into reaches. The presence of suitable oviposition substrata at a reach did not influence the abundances of larvae. For one species, benthic samples taken proximate to oviposition substrata revealed a sharp decline in abundance between first and later instars. Larvae of two taxa exhibited flow‐specific habitat preferences mirroring those described as important as cues for oviposition site selection. Previous estimates of egg mass aggregation were also reflected in similarly high levels of larval clumping; however, larval aggregation did not differ between reaches with and without oviposition sites. 3. Collectively, our results suggest that a large difference in the supply of potential recruits does not translate into marked differences in larval abundances of hydrobiosids at the reach level but may account for some variation in larval distribution within a reach and between instars. This evidence is consistent with the notion that (i) posthatching dispersal between reaches is substantial and (ii) mortality of larvae, particularly early instars, is high and (iii) within reach habitat preferences change with larval growth. 4. If adults are unable to lay eggs at reaches without suitable oviposition substrata, then reaches with oviposition substrata may be crucial as a source of recruits elsewhere. Furthermore, high mortality and/or dispersal among first instars signal this as an important part of the life history. Further data on the mortality and dispersal rates of newly hatched larvae would greatly benefit our understanding of the importance of local births in structuring patterns of abundance in stream invertebrates.     

Ecological traps: current evidence and future directions

Ecological traps, which occur when animals mistakenly prefer habitats where their fitness is lower than in other available habitats following rapid environmental change, have important conservation and management implications. Empirical research has focused largely on assessing the behavioural effects of traps, by studying a small number of geographically close habitat patches. Traps, however, have also been defined in terms of their population-level effects (i.e. as preferred habitats of sufficiently low quality to cause population declines), and this is the scale most relevant for management. We systematically review the ecological traps literature to (i) describe the geographical and taxonomic distribution of efforts to study traps, (ii) examine how different traps vary in the strength of their effects on preference and fitness, (iii) evaluate the robustness of methods being used to identify traps, and (iv) determine whether the information required to assess the population-level consequences of traps has been considered. We use our results to discuss key knowledge gaps, propose improved methods to study traps, and highlight fruitful avenues for future research.     

Effects of flash flooding on mosquito and community dynamics in experimental pools

Pulsed disturbances of larval mosquito sites are likely to have a direct negative effect on mosquitoes but may also have indirect effects due to the alteration of community structure. These altered communities may become attractive to gravid mosquitoes searching for oviposition sites when the disturbances decrease the abundance of mosquito antagonists such as competitors, which often results in an increase in mosquito food resources. However, flash flood disturbances in intermittent riverbeds can also remove mosquito food resources such as algae, so that the net effect of flash floods could be either to increase or decrease mosquito abundance. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to assess the effects of flash floods on mosquito oviposition habitat selection and larval abundance during the post‐disturbance period of community recovery. Mesocosms were artificially flooded. Mosquito oviposition, immature abundance, invertebrate species diversity, chlorophyll a, and abiotic parameters were monitored. Our results showed that the flash flood negatively affected phytoplankton and zooplankton, leading to a decrease of mosquito oviposition in flooded mesocosms compared to non‐flooded mesocosms. More broadly, this study indicates how disturbances influence mosquito oviposition habitat selection due to the loss of food resources in ephemeral pools, and it highlights the importance of considering the effects of disturbances in management, habitat restoration, and biodiversity conservation in temporary aquatic habitats.     

Oviposition site preferences of the threatened butterfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parnassius mnemosyne</Emphasis> – implications for conservation

Recent studies on the threatened clouded apollo butterfly, Parnassius mnemosyne, have identified suitable habitats on a large scale. More detailed knowledge on specific habitat requirements of ovipositing females is still needed. Some earlier observations suggest that females just drop their eggs without discrimination. This study suggests that females can be rather choosy in their oviposition site selection and that they actively search for oviposition sites with suitable vegetation structure. By identifying factors influencing female oviposition, such as distance to shrub, valuable knowledge is generated for restoration plans considered in the study area. This stresses the importance of proper management of extant habitats in order to prevent local extinctions of P. mnemosyne and it also highlights the need for data on specific oviposition requirements in butterfly conservation.     

Effects of forest canopy on habitat selection in treefrogs and aquatic insects: implications for communities and metacommunities

The specific dispersal/colonization strategies used by species to locate and colonize habitat patches can strongly influence both community and metacommunity structure. Habitat selection theory predicts nonrandom dispersal to and colonization of habitat patches based on their quality. We tested whether habitat selection was capable of generating patterns of diversity and abundance across a transition of canopy coverage (open and closed canopy) and nutrient addition by investigating oviposition site choice in two treefrog species (Hyla) and an aquatic beetle (Tropisternus lateralis), and the colonization dynamics of a diverse assemblage of aquatic insects (primarily beetles). Canopy cover produced dramatic patterns of presence/absence, abundance, and species richness, as open canopy ponds received 99.5% of propagules and 94.6% of adult insect colonists. Nutrient addition affected only Tropisternus oviposition, as females oviposited more egg cases at higher nutrient levels, but only in open canopy ponds. The behavioral partitioning of aquatic landscapes into suitable and unsuitable habitats via habitat selection behavior fundamentally alters how communities within larger ecological landscapes (metacommunities) are linked by dispersal and colonization.     

Periodical cicadas use light for oviposition site selection

Organisms use incomplete information from local experience to assess the suitability of potential habitat sites over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Although ecologists have long recognized the importance of spatial scales in habitat selection, few studies have investigated the temporal scales of habitat selection. In particular, cues in the immediate environment may commonly provide indirect information about future habitat quality. In periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.), oviposition site selection represents a very long-term habitat choice. Adult female cicadas insert eggs into tree branches during a few weeks in the summer of emergence, but their oviposition choices determine the underground habitats of root-feeding nymphs over the following 13 or 17 years. Here, field experiments are used to show that female cicadas use the local light environment of host trees during the summer of emergence to select long-term host trees. Light environments may also influence oviposition microsite selection within hosts, suggesting a potential behavioural mechanism for associating solar cues with host trees. In contrast, experimental nutrient enrichment of host trees did not influence cicada oviposition densities. These findings suggest that the light environments around host trees may provide a robust predictor of host tree quality in the near future. This habitat selection may influence the spatial distribution of several cicada-mediated ecological processes in eastern North American forests.     

Habitat selection of riparian birds at restoration sites along the Trinity River,California

Riparian habitats in the western United States are imperiled, yet they support the highest bird diversity in arid regions, making them a conservation priority. Riparian restoration efforts can be enhanced by information on species response to variation in habitat features. We examined the habitat selection of four riparian birds known as management indicators at restoration and reference sites along the Trinity River, California. We compared vegetation structure and composition at nest sites, territories, and random points to quantify used versus available habitat from 2012 to 2015. Vegetation in focal species' territories differed between site types, and from available habitat, indicating nonrandom site choice. Birds selected aspects of more structurally complex habitats, such as greater canopy cover, canopy height, and tree species richness. Yellow‐breasted Chats preferred greater shrub cover, and Yellow Warblers preferred greater cover by non‐native Himalayan blackberry. Territory preferences on restoration sites were often a subset of those on reference sites. One exception was canopy height, which was taller on restoration site territories than random points for all species, suggesting that birds preferentially used patches of remnant habitat. Few variables were significant in nest site selection. Restoration plantings along the Trinity River were only 3–10 years old during this study, and have not developed many of the characteristics of mature riparian habitat preferred by birds, but may improve in habitat value over time. Understanding habitat selection is especially important in recently human‐modified environments, where indirect cues used to assess habitat quality may become disassociated from actual habitat quality, potentially creating ecological traps.     

Someplace like home: Experience,habitat selection and conservation biology

Recent insights from habitat selection theory may help conservation managers encourage released animals to settle in appropriate habitats. By all measures, success rates for captive–release and translocation programs are low, and have shown few signs of improvement in recent years. We consider situations in which free-living dispersers prefer new habitats that contain stimuli comparable to those in their natal habitat, a phenomenon called natal habitat preference induction (NHPI). Theory predicts NHPI when dispersers experienced favorable conditions in their natal habitat, and have difficulty estimating the quality of unfamiliar habitats. NHPI is especially likely to occur when performance in a given habitat is enhanced if an animal developed in that same habitat type. Animals exhibiting NHPI are expected to rely on conspicuous cues that can be quickly and easily detected during search, and to prefer new habitats possessing cues that match those encountered in their natal habitat.A major obstacle to successful relocations is that newly released animals often reject the habitat near the release site and rapidly travel long distances away before settling. An NHPI perspective argues that long-distance movements away from release sites occur because releasees prefer to settle in familiar types of habitat, and reject novel areas lacking cues similar to those in their habitat of origin. Similarly, a preference by releasees for familiar cues may encourage them to seek out inappropriate, low quality habitats following release at a new location. We review evidence from a number of studies indicating that problems with habitat selection behavior compromise conservation efforts, and provide recommendations that may encourage animals to “feel more at home” in post-release habitats.     

Egg laying preferences and larval performance in Dermestes maculatus

Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is both a pest of dried stored products and, through its colonization of carrion, a forensically important species. However, little is known about the consequences of female oviposition site preferences on larval growth and development. To examine this, non‐virgin female beetles were offered a choice of food resources that had been aged to various extents to explore the adaptive nature of female oviposition preferences. Dermestes maculatus females consistently preferred to oviposit on muscle in contrast to either fat or bone marrow. Constraining larvae onto one of the three resource types confirmed that larvae grew faster and eclosed into larger adults when fed on muscle than when fed on either fat or bone marrow. In addition, the degree of sexual dimorphism was also related to food resource, with the greatest extent of size dimorphism (females larger than males) being evident on the preferred muscle resource. This conforms to the view that intraspecific variation in sexual size dimorphism is driven by intersexual differences in phenotypic plasticity, with females being able to reach greater size than males when conditions are good. The results indicate that D. maculatus female oviposition preferences are adaptive in that adult oviposition choice can enhance offspring fitness and so broadly conforms to the oviposition preference‐larval performance hypothesis as noted in a number of phytophagous insects.     

Habitat selection as a source of inter‐specific differences in recruitment of two diadromous fish species

• 1 For aquatic species with highly dispersive offspring, the addition of new individuals into an area (recruitment) is a key process in determining local population size so understanding the causes of recruitment variability is critical. While three general causative mechanisms have been identified (the supply of individuals, habitat selection and mortality), we have a limited understanding of how variation in each is generated, and the consequences this may have for the spatial and temporal distribution of recruits.
• 2 We examined whether active habitat selection during settlement could be the cause of variability in populations of two diadromous fish species using a field survey and laboratory‐based choice experiments. If larval behaviour is important, we predicted there would be inter‐specific differences in abundance between sites during the survey, and that larvae would prefer water collected from sites with higher conspecific abundances during the experiments.
• 3 During the field survey, significant differences were detected between two rivers (the Cumberland and Grey), with one species (Galaxias maculatus) found in higher abundances at one site (the Cumberland River) while comparable numbers of a closely related species (Galaxias brevipinnis) were caught at both sites. Laboratory choice experiments were conducted to determine whether larval preferences during settlement could be the cause of these differences. G. maculatus larvae showed a preference for freshwater over saltwater, indicating that the fish may be responding to reduced salinities around river mouths during settlement. The results of a second experiment were consistent with the notion that larval preferences could be the mechanism driving differences in the populations of the two rivers, with G. maculatus preferring water collected from the Cumberland River while G. brevipinnis did not prefer water from either river.
• 4 These results demonstrate that active habitat selection may be important in establishing spatial patterns of larvae at settlement, and that multiple cues are likely to be involved. This study also demonstrates that the behaviours exhibited by individuals can strongly influence the structure and dynamics of populations of aquatic species with complex life cycles.

     

Spatial and temporal patterns in Arctic mosquito abundance

1. Organisms that undergo a shift in ontogeny and habitat type often change their spatial distribution throughout their life cycle, but how this affects population dynamics remains poorly understood.
2. We examined spatial and temporal patterns in Aedes nigripes abundance, a widespread univoltine Arctic mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae), hypothesizing that the spatial distribution of adults would be closely tied to aquatic habitat.
3. We tracked adult densities of A. nigripes near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland using emergence traps, CO₂-baited traps, and sweep-nets.
4. In back-to-back years of sampling (2017 and 2018) we found two-fold variation in overall abundance.
5. Adults were spatially patchy when first emerging from aquatic habitats but within a week, mean capture rates for host-seeking adult females were similar across locations, even in places far from larval habitat.
6. Daily variation in mosquito captures was primarily explained by weather, with virtually no mosquito activity when temperatures averaged less than 8°C or wind speeds exceeded 6 m/s. Gravid females (3% of resting adults) were spatially patchy on the landscape, but not always in the same places where most adults emerged.
7. The spatial distribution of adults is quickly uncoupled from the spatial distribution of larvae because A. nigripes females may disperse far from their natal habitats in search of a blood-meal and high-quality oviposition habitat.

8. This research highlights the value of studying ecological processes that act at disparate life stages for understanding the population biology of organisms with complex life cycles.     

Habitat availability mediates chironomid density-dependent oviposition

Knowledge of density-dependent processes and how they are mediated by environmental factors is critically important for understanding population and community ecology of insects, as well as for mitigating harmful insect-borne diseases. Here, we tested whether the oviposition of chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae; non-biting midges), known to carry the Cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae, is density dependent and if it is mediated by habitat availability. We used two multiple choice experiments in habitat-limited and habitat-unlimited environments and performed isodar analysis on counts of egg batches after controlling the polarization of light reflected from the habitats, which is known to affect their attractiveness to ovipositing chironomids. We found that, when habitats are limited, egg batch isodars indicate that chironomid selection is density dependent. Although a greater number of individuals selected to oviposit in highly polarized sites, oviposition was also common in sites with low polarization. When habitats are unlimited, chironomid selection is either weakly density dependent, or completely density independent. Chironomids oviposit to a very large extent in sites with high level of polarization, oviposit to a small extent in sites with medium level of polarization, and almost completely disregard unpolarized sites. We suggest that ovipositing females consider the availability of habitats in their surroundings when they choose an oviposition site. When high quality habitats are scarce, more females opt to breed in low quality sites. These findings may be used to limit the spread of Cholera by controlling the habitats available for chironomid oviposition.