A natural history of web decorations in the St Andrew's Cross spider (Argiope keyserlingi)

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinesh Rao ◽  
Ken Cheng ◽  
Marie E. Herberstein
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Spider Webs ◽  
History Data ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Exact Function ◽  
History Of ◽  
Argiope Keyserlingi ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
The Web

A long-running debate in the spider literature concerns the function of the extra silk decorations in some spider webs. These decorations are appended to the web and constitute a highly visible signal, which is inconsistent with the trend towards web invisibility. Despite the sustained attention of researchers, the exact function of these decorations is yet to be understood. While most studies have focussed on testing particular hypotheses, there has been a dearth of natural history data regarding web decorations in field conditions. In this study we present baseline data regarding the influence of seasonality, microhabitat characteristics and ecology on the presence of web decorations in an Australian orb web spider, Argiope keyserlingi. In particular, we show that there is preference among spiders to build their webs between bushes and to face the south-east, but this preference does not influence decoration building.

scholarly journals The effect of predator-prey distance and prey profitability on the attack behaviour of the orb-web spider Argiope keyserlingi (Araneidae)

2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. E. Champion de Crespigny ◽  
M. E. Herberstein ◽  
M. A. Elgar
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Argiope Keyserlingi ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Orb Web Spiders ◽  
The Web

The foraging behaviour of central-place foragers is thought to be strongly influenced by the distance between the forager and the food source (predator–prey distance). Orb-web spiders are uniquely suited for investigating this idea because they make active foraging decisions towards prey entangled in the web, and they define the dimensions of their foraging arena when they construct the web. Here we manipulate the physiological condition of Argiope keyserlingi and present the spiders with prey of varying quality, in terms of size and accessibility (location within the web and distance from the spider). We found that these spiders adjust their foraging behaviour primarily in response to their physiological condition but, in contrast to other central-place foragers, are indiscriminant of predator–prey distance or the likelihood of escape of the prey. We suggest that these factors are incorporated into the design of the web, and thus increase foraging success through efficient web design.

scholarly journals A novel property of spider silk: chemical defence against ants

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1734) ◽  
pp. 1824-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shichang Zhang ◽  
Teck Hui Koh ◽  
Wee Khee Seah ◽  
Yee Hing Lai ◽  
Mark A. Elgar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Spider Silk ◽  
Chemical Defence ◽  
Spider Webs ◽  
Small Juvenile ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Orb Web Spiders ◽  
The Web

Spider webs are made of silk, the properties of which ensure remarkable efficiency at capturing prey. However, remaining on, or near, the web exposes the resident spiders to many potential predators, such as ants. Surprisingly, ants are rarely reported foraging on the webs of orb-weaving spiders, despite the formidable capacity of ants to subdue prey and repel enemies, the diversity and abundance of orb-web spiders, and the nutritional value of the web and resident spider. We explain this paradox by reporting a novel property of the silk produced by the orb-web spider Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer). These spiders deposit on the silk a pyrrolidine alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that provides protection from ant invasion. Furthermore, the ontogenetic change in the production of 2-pyrrolidinone suggests that this compound represents an adaptive response to the threat of natural enemies, rather than a simple by-product of silk synthesis: while 2-pyrrolidinone occurs on the silk threads produced by adult and large juvenile spiders, it is absent on threads produced by small juvenile spiders, whose threads are sufficiently thin to be inaccessible to ants.

Does decoration building influence antipredator responses in an orb-web spider (Argiope keyserlingi) in its natural habitat?

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean J. Blamires ◽  
Dieter F. Hochuli ◽  
Michael B. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Antipredator Responses ◽  
Argiope Keyserlingi ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Orb Web Spiders ◽  
The Web

Antipredator strategies adopted by animals need to compensate for temporal changes. Many orb-web spiders add silk decorations to their webs, which principally attract prey but may attract some predators. To identify their influence on antipredator behaviour in adult female St Andrew’s cross spiders (Argiope keyserlingi) we measured: spider body condition, web characteristics (area, spiral length and decoration building), environmental variables (air temperature, humidity, wind speed, relative prey abundance) and antipredator responses (remaining at the hub, dropping, shifting to the web periphery, or pumping the web) at three distinct periods (July–August, September–October and January–February) in the field. We developed path models from multiple regression analyses to distinguish between factors having direct and indirect effects. We found that even though both antipredator responses and decoration building change over time, antipredator responses and decoration investment are independent. Body condition and wind speed are directly positively associated with pumping frequency, and decoration building is negatively associated with the frequency of remaining at the hub because the likelihood that an object approaching the web is a predator increases if decorations are added. Wind speed is positively associated with antipredator behaviour and decoration building, due to an increased rate of feeding affecting body condition.

scholarly journals High-performance spider webs: integrating biomechanics, ecology and behaviour

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (57) ◽  
pp. 457-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. T. Harmer ◽  
Todd A. Blackledge ◽  
Joshua S. Madin ◽  
Marie E. Herberstein
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Spider Webs ◽  
Spider Dragline Silk ◽  
Spider Web ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Synthetic Materials ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Spider Silks

Spider silks exhibit remarkable properties, surpassing most natural and synthetic materials in both strength and toughness. Orb-web spider dragline silk is the focus of intense research by material scientists attempting to mimic these naturally produced fibres. However, biomechanical research on spider silks is often removed from the context of web ecology and spider foraging behaviour. Similarly, evolutionary and ecological research on spiders rarely considers the significance of silk properties. Here, we highlight the critical need to integrate biomechanical and ecological perspectives on spider silks to generate a better understanding of (i) how silk biomechanics and web architectures interacted to influence spider web evolution along different structural pathways, and (ii) how silks function in an ecological context, which may identify novel silk applications. An integrative, mechanistic approach to understanding silk and web function, as well as the selective pressures driving their evolution, will help uncover the potential impacts of environmental change and species invasions (of both spiders and prey) on spider success. Integrating these fields will also allow us to take advantage of the remarkable properties of spider silks, expanding the range of possible silk applications from single threads to two- and three-dimensional thread networks.

scholarly journals Spiders did not repeatedly gain, but repeatedly lost, foraging webs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A Coddington ◽  
Ingi Agnarsson ◽  
Chris Hamilton ◽  
Jason E Bond
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Optimization Algorithms ◽  
Taxon Sampling ◽  
Methodological Error ◽  
Spider Webs ◽  
Transcriptomic Data ◽  
Genomic Scale ◽  
Corrected Data ◽  
Orb Web

Much genomic-scale, especially transcriptomic, data on spider phylogeny has accumulated in the last few years. These data have recently been used to investigate the diverse architectures and the origin of spider webs, concluding that the ancestral spider spun no foraging web, that spider webs evolved de novo 10-14 times, and that the orb web evolved at least three times. In fact, these findings principally result from inappropriate phylogenetic methodology, specifically coding the absence of webs as logically equivalent, and homologous to, 10 other observable (i.e. not absent) web architectures. “Absence” of webs is simply inapplicable data. To be analyzed properly by character optimization algorithms, it must be coded as “?” or “-” because these codes, and these alone, are handled differently by such algorithms. Additional problems include critical misspellings of taxon names from one analysis to the next (dropping even one taxon affects taxon sampling and results), and mistakes in spider natural history. In sum, methodological error: 1) causes character optimization algorithms to produce illogical results, and 2) does not distinguish absence from secondary loss. Proper methodology and corrected data instead imply that foraging webs are primitive for spiders and that webs have been lost ~5-7 times, not gained 10-14 times. The orb web, specifically, may be homologous (originated only once) although lost 2-6 times.

SILK MEDIATED DEFENSE BY AN ORB WEB SPIDER AGAINST PREDATORY MUD-DAUBER WASPS

Behaviour ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Blackledge ◽  
John Wenzel
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Predation Pressure ◽  
Spider Webs ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Argiope Trifasciata

AbstractStabilimenta are zigzag and spiral designs of seemingly conspicuous silk included at the centers of many spider webs. We examined the association of stabilimenta with the ability of spiders to defend themselves against predatory mud-dauber wasps. We found that Argiope trifasciata (Araneae, Araneidae) were significantly more likely to survive attacks by Chalybion caeruleum and Sceliphron caementarium (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) when spiders included stabilimenta in webs. This association could not be explained by factors such as differences in sizes or conditions of spiders nor locations of webs. We suggest that stabilimenta may function to delay pursuit of spiders as they drop from webs by physically blocking wasps, camouflaging spiders or distracting attacking wasps. Stabilimenta may function in a role very similar to the retreats built by many other genera of spiders and appear to be an adaptation to reduce the predation pressure faced by spiders that have evolved foraging habits at highly exposed diurnal web sites.

Foraging behaviour in orb-web spiders (Araneidae): do web decorations increase prey capture success in Argiope keyserlingi Karsch, 1878?

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Herberstein
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Argiope Keyserlingi ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Orb Web Spiders ◽  
The Web ◽  
Web Size ◽  
Prey Attraction

Orb web spiders in the genus Argiope attach highly visible silk bands called decorations or stabilimenta to their webs. Two different hypotheses regarding the function of these structures were investigated in the field using Argiope keyserlingi: prey attraction and anti-predatory device. The first hypothesis suggests that web decorations attract prey to the web, and webs carrying decorations will capture more prey than those without. A field census of prey capture showed that webs adorned with more decorative bands indeed captured more but similarly sized prey per hour compared with webs carrying fewer decorations. Web height or web size, however, were not related to the rate of prey capture. This pattern was confirmed by a paired comparison of prey-capture rates within individuals that increased or decreased the number of decorative bands on consecutive days. Individuals that used more decorations also captured more prey compared with days when they spun fewer decorations. The second hypothesis suggests that these structures function as anti-predatory devices and, consequently, spiders on decorated webs benefit from a lower rate of mortality than spiders on undecorated webs. A census of the mortality rates of spiders over 19 days revealed that spiders did not disappear from undecorated webs more frequently than from decorated webs. Consequently, the idea that web decorations act as anti-predatory devices in A. keyserlingi was not supported.

scholarly journals The active metabolic rate predicts a male spider's proximity to females and expected fitness

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 20121164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. Kasumovic ◽  
Frank Seebacher
Keyword(s):  
Citrate Synthase ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
History Of ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Nephila Plumipes ◽  
Expected Fitness ◽  
Insight Into

Conspicuous traits, such as weaponry and body size, are often correlated with fitness. By contrast, we understand less about how inconspicuous physiological traits affect fitness. Not only is linking physiology directly to fitness a challenge, but in addition, behavioural studies most often focus on resting or basal metabolic rates, resulting in a poor understanding of how active metabolic rates affect fitness. Here we use the golden orb-web spider ( Nephila plumipes ), a species for which proximity to a female on the web predicts a male's paternity share, to examine the role of resting and active metabolic rates in fitness. Using a semi-natural experimental set-up, we show that males closer to a female have higher active metabolic rates than males further from females. This higher metabolic activity is paralleled by increased citrate synthase activity, suggesting greater mitochondrial densities. Our results link both higher active metabolic rates and increased citrate synthase activity with fitness. Coupled with the behaviour and life history of N. plumipes , these results provide insight into the evolution of physiological systems.

Drinking behaviour of the orb web spider Argiope bruennichi (Araneae; Araneidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (11-13) ◽  
pp. 1295-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Walter ◽  
Constanze Westphal ◽  
Peter Bliss ◽  
Robin F.A. Moritz
Keyword(s):  
Water Budget ◽  
Water Deprivation ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Water Droplets ◽  
Web Spider ◽  
Orb Web ◽  
Orb Web Spiders ◽  
Water Gain ◽  
The Web

Abstract Water is essential for survival in terrestrial animals. Balancing the water budget can be achieved by avoiding water loss and gaining water. In arthropods drinking as a process of water gain is well investigated in insects. In spiders drinking has only been shown to be present in cursorial spiders but not revealed for web builders. However, some orb web spiders were observed to occasionally ingest water droplets in the web. We here tested whether this reflects drinking. We subjected individual Argiope bruennichi spiders to two different treatments — 'water deprivation' vs. 'water saturation'. We conducted drinking tests by recording the spider's behavioural response to spraying the web with defined amounts of water. After spraying A. bruennichi searched the silk-overstitched web hub for water droplets and ingested them. Individuals that experienced the water deprivation treatment showed significantly more water ingesting behaviours, revealing that this response represents a true drinking mode. All individuals exclusively searched the covered web hubs. We further demonstrated that this structure can retain water for up to 40 min providing an effective substrate for the spiders to drink from. Hence, without the need of leaving the web the silk-covered hubs may help A. bruennichi spiders to balance their water budget.

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