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Yu G, Wong BH, Painting CJ, Li H, Yu L, Zhang Z, Zhang S, Li D. Males armed with big weapons win fights at limited cost in ant-mimicking jumping spiders. Curr Zool 2024; 70:98-108. [PMID: 38476142 PMCID: PMC10926263 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
A core assumption of sexual selection theory is that sexually selected weapons, specialized morphological structures used directly in male contests, can improve an individual's reproductive success but only if the bearer can overcome associated costs, the negative effects on the bearer's fitness components. However, recent studies have shown that producing and wielding exaggerated weapons may not necessarily be costly. Rather, some traits can be selected for supporting, or compensating for, the expense of producing and wielding such exaggerated weapons. In the ant-mimicking jumping spider Myrmarachne gisti, exaggerated chelicerae are borne only by adult males and not females, showing sexual dimorphism and steep positive allometry with body size. Here, we determine the potential benefits of bearing exaggerated chelicerae during male contests and explore the potential for costs in terms of prey-capture efficiency and compensation between chelicera size and neighboring trait size. While males with longer chelicerae won most of their male-male contests, we found no significant differences in prey-capture efficiency between males and females regardless of whether prey was winged or flightless. Males' elongated chelicerae thus do not impede their efficiency at capturing prey. Furthermore, we found that the sizes of all neighboring traits are positively correlated with chelicera size, suggesting that these traits may be under correlational selection. Taken together, our findings suggest that M. gisti males armed with the exaggerated chelicerae that function as weapons win more fights at limited cost for performance in prey capture and compensate for neighboring structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guocheng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Boon Hui Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Christina J Painting
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Hongze Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Long Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Zengtao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Shichang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Daiqin Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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Carlson ML, Stoddard MC. Evolution of Plumage Patterns in a Pattern Morphospace: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Melanerpine Woodpeckers. Am Nat 2024; 203:55-72. [PMID: 38207134 DOI: 10.1086/727508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractPlumage patterns of melanerpine (Melanerpes-Sphyrapicus) woodpeckers are strikingly diverse. Understanding the evolution and function of this diversity is challenging because of the difficulty of quantifying plumage patterns. We use a three-dimensional space to characterize the evolution of melanerpine achromatic plumage patterns. The axes of the space are three pattern features (spatial frequency, orientation, and contrast) quantified using two-dimensional fast Fourier transformation of museum specimen images. Mapping plumage in pattern space reveals differences in how species and subclades occupy the space. To quantify these differences, we derive two new measures of pattern: pattern diversity (diversity across plumage patches within a species) and pattern uniqueness (divergence of patterns from those of other species). We estimate that the melanerpine ancestor had mottled plumage and find that pattern traits across patches and subclades evolve at different rates. We also find that smaller species are more likely to display horizontal face patterning. We promote pattern spaces as powerful tools for investigating animal pattern evolution.
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Yu G, Li Z, Zhao Y, Liu J, Peng Y. An Ant-Mimicking Jumping Spider Achieves Higher Predation Probability with Lower Success Rate When Exposed to Ethanol. INSECTS 2022; 13:1009. [PMID: 36354833 PMCID: PMC9694002 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol (ETOH) affects many animals' behaviour in nature; for example, honeybees become more aggressive after consuming ETOH. In previous studies, scientists have used honeybees and fruit flies as models to determine if they showed a strong preference to ETOH. Moreover, ETOH could affect their locomotion and learning abilities. However, whether and how ETOH affects spiders is unclear as of yet. In this study, we used empirical experiments to determine whether spiders showed preference for ETOH, as well as the potential benefits of spiders choosing ETOH, by using a common spider, Myrmarachne gisti, which has a high probability of contacting ETOH in their habitat. In our experiment, M. gisti showed a significant preference for ETOH. Although the success rate of the first attack was significantly decreased when M. gisti were exposed to ETOH, they had a significantly higher predation probability, since fruit flies also showed a significant preference for ETOH. Our findings suggested that ETOH could affect the prey capture efficiency of M. gisti, and indicated that spiders might evolve to use ETOH to locate a potential hunting place. Taken together, our findings suggested that M. gisti evolved to adapt to ETOH and could use it as a signal of the presence of food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guocheng Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Zichang Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Yao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Yu Peng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
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Glenszczyk M, Outomuro D, Gregorič M, Kralj-Fišer S, Schneider JM, Nilsson DE, Morehouse NI, Tedore C. The jumping spider Saitis barbipes lacks a red photoreceptor to see its own sexually dimorphic red coloration. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2021; 109:6. [PMID: 34894274 PMCID: PMC8665921 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01774-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Examining the role of color in mate choice without testing what colors the study animal is capable of seeing can lead to ill-posed hypotheses and erroneous conclusions. Here, we test the seemingly reasonable assumption that the sexually dimorphic red coloration of the male jumping spider Saitis barbipes is distinguishable, by females, from adjacent black color patches. Using microspectrophotometry, we find clear evidence for photoreceptor classes with maximal sensitivity in the UV (359 nm) and green (526 nm), inconclusive evidence for a photoreceptor maximally sensitive in the blue (451 nm), and no evidence for a red photoreceptor. No colored filters within the lens or retina could be found to shift green sensitivity to red. To quantify and visualize whether females may nevertheless be capable of discriminating red from black color patches, we take multispectral images of males and calculate photoreceptor excitations and color contrasts between color patches. Red patches would be, at best, barely discriminable from black, and not discriminable from a low-luminance green. Some color patches that appear achromatic to human eyes, such as beige and white, strongly absorb UV wavelengths and would appear as brighter "spider-greens" to S. barbipes than the red color patches. Unexpectedly, we discover an iridescent UV patch that contrasts strongly with the UV-absorbing surfaces dominating the rest of the spider. We propose that red and black coloration may serve identical purposes in sexual signaling, functioning to generate strong achromatic contrast with the visual background. The potential functional significance of red coloration outside of sexual signaling is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Glenszczyk
- Zoological Institute, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia, Bankowa 9, 40-007, Katowice, Poland
| | - David Outomuro
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Matjaž Gregorič
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, Novi trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, Novi trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Zoological Institute, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dan-Eric Nilsson
- Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Nathan I Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Cynthia Tedore
- Zoological Institute, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
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Zhou W, Yu L, Kwek BZW, Jin G, Zeng H, Li D. Sexual selection on jumping spider color pattern: investigation with a new quantitative approach. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
How animals assess information encoded in individual color patches have been extensively studied, yet the role of both individual color patches and gross color pattern (i.e., the combination of color patches) remains understudied. We tested the functioning of both individual color patches and gross color pattern in sexual selection using the jumping spider Siler semiglaucus as a study system. We first quantified sexual dimorphism in S. semiglaucus in both individual patches and gross color pattern using the newly developed quantitative color pattern analysis (QCPA) framework. After detecting sexual differences in color coverage and pattern contrast, we manipulated the abdomen color pattern of males and had them engage in both female mate choice and male contest trials. Females spent more time watching males with lower pattern contrast and greater red coverage during mate assessment, suggesting that they evaluate information from both individual patches and gross color pattern of males. However, male color pattern had no significant effect on the outcomes of male contests. Thus, we suggest that the observed sexual color pattern dimorphism evolved primarily through female mate choice in S. semiglaucus. This is the first study to use QCPA framework to quantify sexual dimorphism in within-pattern conspicuousness from an intraspecific perspective in invertebrates. Our study also highlights the importance of both individual color patches and gross color pattern in sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Long Yu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering and Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, 368 Youyi Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430062, China
| | - Bernetta Z W Kwek
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Ge Jin
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, 70 Symonds Street, Grafton, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Hua Zeng
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research and Peking-Tsinghua Centre for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Daiqin Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
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