1
|
Warren AD, Severns PM. Fatal Attraction: Argiope Spiders Lure Male Hemileuca Moth Prey with the Promise of Sex. INSECTS 2024; 15:53. [PMID: 38249059 PMCID: PMC10816778 DOI: 10.3390/insects15010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Predator-prey coevolution, particularly chemo-ecological arms races, is challenging to study as it requires the integration of behavioral, chemical ecology, and phylogenetic studies in an amenable system. Moths of the genus Hemileuca (Saturniidae) are colorful, diurnal, and fast and often fly well above the vegetation canopy layer. However, several Hemileuca species have been reported as being captured in spider webs, specifically Argiope species (Araneidae). Female Hemileuca are known to produce mating pheromones and spiders of the Araneidae family are known to use pheromone lures to attract lepidopteran prey. We presented primarily female Argiope aurantia, which are attractive to male Anisota pellucida (Saturniidae), to different populations of Hemileuca species across the southern and western United States to categorize the homing response strength of different species of male Hemileuca. When we mapped these Argiope lure attraction strength categories onto the most recently published Hemileuca phylogeny, the behavioral patterns suggested a potential co-evolutionary arms race between predators and prey. Males of Hemileuca maia, H. grotei, and H. nevadensis (all in the same clade) appeared to have no attraction to A. aurantia, while H. magnifica and H. hera (within a different, separate clade) appeared to be strongly attracted to A. aurantia, but H. nuttalli (also within the H. hera and H. magnifica clade) displayed no attraction. Furthermore, Hemileuca eglanterina (yet a different clade) displayed strong, weak, and no attraction to A. aurantia, depending on the population. These apparent clade partitioning patterns of Argiope lure effectiveness and within-species variation in Hemileuca lure responses suggest a predator-prey coevolutionary history of measures and countermeasures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Warren
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Research Associate, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 3215 Hull Rd., UF Cultural Plaza, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710, USA;
| | - Paul M. Severns
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, 2315 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Suzuki Y, Ikemoto M, Yokoi T. The ontogenetic dietary shift from non-dangerous to dangerous prey in predator-eating predators under capture risk. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9609. [PMID: 36514549 PMCID: PMC9731918 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluating the patterns and generality of ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs) contributes to understanding prey-predator interactions and food web dynamics. Numerous studies have focused on predators that target distinctively lower trophic-level organisms. However, the ODS of predators that routinely prey on organisms at similar trophic levels (i.e., predator-eating predators) have been neglected in ODS research. The ODS patterns of predator eaters may not fit into conventional frameworks owing to constraints of potential capture risk (e.g., deadly counterattack from prey) and body size. We aimed to reveal the ODS patterns of predator eaters and determine whether the patterns were affected by body size and capture risk. Assuming that capture risk is a significant factor in ODS patterns, we expected: (1) juvenile araneophagic spiders to forage on non-dangerous prey (insects) and capture larger non-dangerous prey more frequently than dangerous prey (spiders); and (2) as they grow, their prey types will shift from non-dangerous to dangerous prey because larger predators will be able to capture dangerous prey as the optimal food. As a result of field observations, we revealed that the major ODS pattern in these spiders changed from a mixed (both insect and spider) to a spider-dominant diet. The model selection approach showed that this diet shift was partly due to predator size, and the relative importance of predator size was higher than the life stage per se and almost equal to species identity. In these spiders, the body size of spider prey tended to be smaller than that of insects when the predators were small, suggesting that capture risk may be a critical factor in determining the ODS patterns of these predators. Therefore, our study adds to the evidence that the capture risk is crucial in comprehensively understanding the mechanisms determining ODS patterns in natural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Suzuki
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of TsukubaIbarakiJapan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural SciencesKagoshima UniversityKagoshimaJapan
| | - Mito Ikemoto
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of TsukubaIbarakiJapan
- Biodiversity DivisionNational Institute for Environmental StudiesTsukubaJapan
| | - Tomoyuki Yokoi
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Carvell GE, Jackson RR, Cross FR. Ontogenetic shift in plant-related cognitive specialization by a mosquito-eating predator. Behav Processes 2017; 138:105-122. [PMID: 28245979 PMCID: PMC5407888 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Evarcha culicivora, an East African salticid spider, is a mosquito specialist and it is also a plant specialist, with juveniles visiting plants primarily for acquiring nectar meals and adults visiting plants primarily as mating sites. The hypothesis we consider here is that there are ontogenetic shifts in cognition-related responses by E. culicivora to plant odour. Our experiments pertain to cross-modality priming effects in three specific contexts: executing behaviour that we call the 'visual inspection of plants' (Experiment 1), adopting selective visual attention to specific visual targets (Experiment 2) and becoming prepared to respond rapidly to specific visual targets (Experiment 3). Our findings appear not to be a consequence of salient odours in general elevating E. culicivora's motivation to respond to salient visual stimuli. Instead, effects were specific to particular odours paired with particular visual targets, with the salient volatile plant compounds being caryophyllene and humulene. We found evidence that prey odour primes juveniles and adults to respond to seeing specifically prey, mate odour primes adults to respond to seeing specifically mates and plant odour primes juveniles to respond to seeing specifically flowers. However, plant odour appears to prime adults to respond to seeing specifically a mate associated with a plant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgina E Carvell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Thomas Odhiambo Campus, P.O. Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya
| | - Robert R Jackson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Thomas Odhiambo Campus, P.O. Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya
| | - Fiona R Cross
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Thomas Odhiambo Campus, P.O. Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
A revised and dated phylogeny of cobweb spiders (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae): A predatory Cretaceous lineage diversifying in the era of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 94:658-675. [PMID: 26454029 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) are highly diverse from the perspective of species richness, morphological diversity, variety of web architecture, and behavioral repertoires. The family includes over 50% of social spiders, a behavioral rarity among the order, and members of the family are furthermore the subject of research on venom, silk biomechanics, kleptoparasitism and web building, among other traits. Theridiidae is one of the most abundant groups of spiders, and thus key insect predators in many different ecosystems and is among relatively few spider families that show high degree of myrmecophagy. Modern comparative studies on all these fronts are best buttressed on a phylogenetic foundation. Our goal here is to offer a revised, dated, phylogenetic hypothesis for the family by summarizing previously published data from multiple molecular and morphological studies through data-mining, and adding novel data from several genera. We also test the hypothesis that the origin and diversification of cobweb spiders coincides with that of ants on which many species specialize as prey. The new phylogeny is largely congruent with prior studies and current taxonomy and should provide a useful tool for theridiid classification and for comparative analyses. Nevertheless, we also highlight the limitations of currently available data-the state of the art in Theridiidae phylogenetics-offering weak support for most of the deeper nodes in the phylogeny. Thus the need is clear for modern phylogenomic approaches to obtain a more solid understanding, especially of relationships among subfamilies. We recover the monophyly of currently recognized theridiid subfamilies with the exception of some enigmatic 'pholcommatines' (Styposis, Phoroncidia) and putative 'hadrotarsines' (Audifia, Tekellina) whose placement is uncertain in our analyses. Theridiidae dates back some 100 mya to the Cretaceous, a period of diversification in flowering plants and many groups of insects, including ants. The origin of cobweb spiders, and hence the cobweb-a speciallized trap for pedestrian prey-coincides with a major diversification shift in ants. The family becomes abundant in fossil record 50-40 mya as ants also diversify and reach dominance and contemporary patterns of abundances of theridiids and ants show the same trends, with increasing relative abundance towards the equator and at lower altitudes. We find that among orbiculariae, lineages that specialize on ant prey are non-randomly clustered within Theridiidae. Given these findings we hypothesize that the origin of the gumfoot web was a stepping stone that facilitated the capture of ants and resulted in specialized myrmecophagy in a number of 'basal' theridiids. We also document a subsequent loss in myrmecophagy, and associated increase in speciation rates, as 'recent' theridiid groups evolve diverse web forms and many return to the capture of aerial prey.
Collapse
|
5
|
Tanikawa A, Shinkai A, Miyashita T. Molecular phylogeny of moth-specialized spider sub-family Cyrtarachninae, which includes bolas spiders. Zoolog Sci 2014; 31:716-20. [PMID: 25366153 DOI: 10.2108/zs140034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary process of the unique web architectures of spiders of the sub-family Cyrtarachninae, which includes the triangular web weaver, bolas spider, and webless spider, is thought to be derived from reduction of orbicular 'spanning-thread webs' resembling ordinal orb webs. A molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted to explore this hypothesis using orbicular web spiders Cyrtarachne, Paraplectana, Poecilopachys, triangular web spider Pasilobus, bolas spiders Ordgarius and Mastophora, and webless spider Celaenia. The phylogeny inferred from partial sequences of mt-COI, nuclear 18S-rRNA and 28S-rRNA showed that the common ancestor of these spiders diverged into two clades: a spanning-thread web clade and a bolas or webless clade. This finding suggests that the triangular web evolved by reduction of an orbicular spanning web, but that bolas spiders evolved in the early stage, which does not support the gradual web reduction hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akio Tanikawa
- 1 Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pekár S, Toft S. Trophic specialisation in a predatory group: the case of prey-specialised spiders (Araneae). Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:744-61. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany & Zoology; Faculty of Science, Masaryk University; Kotlářská 2 611 37 Brno Czech Republic
| | - Søren Toft
- Department of Bioscience; University of Aarhus; Ny Munkegade 116 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cárdenas M, Šedo O, Pekár S. Is there ontogenetic shift in the capture traits of a prey-specialized ant-eating spider? J Zool (1987) 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Cárdenas
- Department of Botany and Zoology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - O. Šedo
- Research Group Proteomics; Central European Institute of Technology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - S. Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
We use the term 'aggressive mimic' for predators that communicate with their prey by making signals to indirectly manipulate prey behaviour. For understanding why the aggressive mimic's signals work, it is important to appreciate that these signals interface with the prey's perceptual system, and that the aggressive mimic can be envisaged as playing mind games with its prey. Examples of aggressive mimicry vary from instances in which specifying a model is straight forward to instances where a concise characterisation of the model is difficult. However, the less straightforward examples of aggressive mimicry may be the more interesting examples in the context of animal cognition. In particular, there are spiders that prey on other spiders by entering their prey's web and making signals. Web invasion brings about especially intimate contact with their prey's perceptual system because the prey spider's web is an important component of the prey spider's sensory apparatus. For the web-invading spider, often there is also a large element of risk when practising aggressive mimicry because the intended prey is also a potential predator. This element of risk, combined with exceptionally intimate interfacing with prey perceptual systems, may have favoured the web-invading aggressive mimic's strategy becoming strikingly cognitive in character. Yet a high level of flexibility may be widespread among aggressive mimics in general and, on the whole, we propose that research on aggressive mimicry holds exceptional potential for advancing our understanding of animal cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert R Jackson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Pekár S, Coddington JA, Blackledge TA. Evolution of stenophagy in spiders (Araneae): evidence based on the comparative analysis of spider diets. Evolution 2011; 66:776-806. [PMID: 22380440 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01471.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Stenophagy (narrow diet breadth) represents an extreme of trophic specialization in carnivores, but little is known about the forces driving its evolution. We used spiders, the most diversified group of terrestrial predators, to investigate whether stenophagy (1) promoted diversification; (2) was phylogenetically conserved and evolutionarily derived state; and (3) was determined either by geographical distribution and foraging guild. We used published data on the prey of almost 600 species. Six categories of stenophagy were found: myrmecophagy, araneophagy, lepidopterophagy, termitophagy, dipterophagy, and crustaceophagy. We found that the species diversity of euryphagous genera and families was similar to stenophagous genera and families. At the family level, stenophagy evolved repeatedly and independently. Within families, the basal condition was oligophagy or euryphagy. Most types of stenophagy were clearly derived: myrmecophagy in Zodariidae; lepidopterophagy in Araneidae; dipterophagy in Theridiidae. In contrast, araneophagy was confined to basal and intermediate lineages, suggesting its ancestral condition. The diet breadth of species from the tropics and subtropics was less diverse than species from the temperate zone. Diet breadth was lower in cursorial spiders compared to web-building species. Thus, the evolution of stenophagy in spiders appears to be complex and governed by phylogeny as well as by ecological determinants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3908
| | - Jonathan A Coddington
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3908
| | - Todd A Blackledge
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3908
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Vereecken NJ, McNeil JN. Cheaters and liars: chemical mimicry at its finestThe present review is one in the special series of reviews on animal-plant interactions.In memory of Jan Tengö (1939–2010), who made exceptional contributions to our understanding of the chemical ecology of solitary bees, including chemical mimicry. CAN J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1139/z10-040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chemical mimicry is an essential part of certain interspecific interactions, where the outcome for both species may depend on the degree to which the original signals are mimicked. In this review, we discuss a number of specific cases relating to pollination and obtaining nutrient resources that we believe exemplify recent advances in our understanding of chemical mimicry. Subsequently, we suggest avenues for future ecological and chemical research that should allow us to gain further insight into the evolution of chemical mimicry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N. J. Vereecken
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Free University of Brussels/Université Libre de Bruxelles, avenue FD Roosevelt 50 CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - J. N. McNeil
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Free University of Brussels/Université Libre de Bruxelles, avenue FD Roosevelt 50 CP 160/12, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) forage for water, pulp, carbohydrates, and animal protein. When hunting, social wasps are opportunistic generalists and use a variety of mechanisms to locate and choose prey. Individual foragers are influenced by past foraging experience and by the presence of other foragers on resources. A forager's ability to learn odors and landmarks, which direct its return to foraging sites, and to associate cues such as odor or leaf damage with resource availability provide the behavioral foundation for facultative specialization by individual foragers. Social wasps, by virtue of their behavior and numbers, have a large impact on other organisms by consuming them directly. Indirect effects such as disruption of prey and resource depletion may also be important. Community-level impacts are particularly apparent when wasps feed upon clumped prey vulnerable to depredation by returning foragers, or when species with large, long-lived colonies are introduced into island communities. A clearer understanding of these relationships may provide insight into impacts of generalist predators on the evolution of their prey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M R Richter
- Department of Biology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866-1632, USA.
| |
Collapse
|