1
|
Ellsworth E, Li Y, Chari LD, Kron A, Moyo S. Tangled in a Web: Management Type and Vegetation Shape the Occurrence of Web-Building Spiders in Protected Areas. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13121129. [PMID: 36555039 PMCID: PMC9784479 DOI: 10.3390/insects13121129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Land management of parks and vegetation complexity can affect arthropod diversity and subsequently alter trophic interactions between predators and their prey. In this study, we examined spiders in five parks with varying management histories and intensities to determine whether certain spider species were associated with particular plants. We also determined whether web architecture influenced spider occurrence. Our results showed that humpbacked orb-weavers (Eustala anastera) were associated with an invasive plant, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense). This study revealed how invasive plants can potentially influence certain spider communities, as evidenced by this native spider species only occurring on invasive plants. Knowing more about spider populations-including species makeup and plants they populate-will give insights into how spider populations are dealing with various ecosystem changes. While we did not assess the effect of invasive plants on the behavior of spiders, it is possible that invasive species may not always be harmful to ecosystems; in the case of spiders, invasive plants may serve as a useful environment to live in. More studies are needed to ascertain whether invasive plants can have adverse effects on spider ecology in the long term.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- El Ellsworth
- Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Yihan Li
- Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Lenin D. Chari
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Aidan Kron
- Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Sydney Moyo
- Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wehner A, Hein N, Beckers N, Dobbert S, Pape R, Löffler J. Early snow melt and diverging thermal constraints control body size in arctic–alpine spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
To predict species’ responses to a rapidly changing environment, it is necessary to detect current clines of life-history traits and understand their drivers. We studied body size variation, a key trait in evolutionary biology, of two arctic–alpine lycosid spiders and underlying mechanisms controlling this variation. We used long time-series data of body size of spiders sampled in Norway, augmented with museum data. Individuals of both species sampled in areas and years with longer snow-free periods grew larger than individuals in areas and years with shorter snow-free periods. Interestingly, temperatures below 0 °C led to a larger body size in Pardosa palustris, while temperatures above 0 °C led to a larger body size in Pardosa hyperborea. We assume that P. palustris, as the generally larger species, is less sensitive to environmental variability and low temperatures, because it can retain more energy compared with a smaller species and, therefore, can invest more resources in its offspring. With rising temperatures, both species might profit from a higher resource availability. In a rapidly changing arctic–alpine environment, alterations in the life-history traits and adaptation strategies of spiders are expected, which, regarding body size, seem to be highly influenced by early snowmelt and diverging thermal constraints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessa Wehner
- University of Bonn, Department of Geography , Bonn , Germany
| | - Nils Hein
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) , Museum Koenig, Bonn , Germany
| | - Niklas Beckers
- University of Bonn, Department of Geography , Bonn , Germany
| | - Svenja Dobbert
- University of Bonn, Department of Geography , Bonn , Germany
| | - Roland Pape
- University of South-Eastern Norway, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health , Bø , Norway
| | - Jörg Löffler
- University of Bonn, Department of Geography , Bonn , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Variation in abundance and life-history traits of two congeneric Arctic wolf spider species, Pardosa hyperborea and Pardosa furcifera, along local environmental gradients. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03041-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
4
|
Mardiné E, Peretti A, Albín A, Oviedo-Diego M, Aisenberg A. Size matters: Antagonistic effects of body size on courtship and digging in a wolf spider with non-traditional sex roles. Behav Processes 2021; 194:104547. [PMID: 34822941 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Body size, nuptial gift characteristics and courtship behaviour, among other traits, can reflect the quality of a potential mate and, thus, might be under sexual selection. To maximize their mating success, individuals can show behavioural plasticity in sexual context. Allocosa senex is a burrow-digging wolf spider that exhibits reversal in courtship roles and in sexual size-dimorphism expected for spiders. Males construct the mating refuge and females prefer males that build longer burrows, which are considered as nuptial gifts because they are delivered to them after mating. This study aims to determine whether male body size and female reproductive status influence burrow dimensions, courtship displays, female preferences and cannibalism rate in A. senex. For that purpose, we allowed males to construct burrows and performed sexual trials under laboratory conditions. Larger males were more courted by females, and in turn, they expressed more vibratory behaviours during courtship. However, and contrary to our expectations, smaller males constructed longer burrows. We suggest that males of A. senex exhibit size-dependent behavioural plasticity, and when they are smaller, they invest more in burrow construction to compensate their lower opportunities of courting intensively as larger males. In addition, females courted differentially according to their reproductive status, overriding male preferences for virgin females. This study opens several doors to future research regarding mutual choice in A. senex and the traits assessed by males and females during courtship, as well as about the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors shaping reproductive decision-making in this and other wandering spider species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Mardiné
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Departamento de Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - Alfredo Peretti
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - CONICET, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 299 (C.P. 5000), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea Albín
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - Mariela Oviedo-Diego
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - CONICET, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 299 (C.P. 5000), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Anita Aisenberg
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Viel N, Mielec C, Pétillon J, Høye TT. Multiple reproductive events in female wolf spiders Pardosa hyperborea and Pardosa furcifera in the Low-Arctic: one clutch can hide another. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02963-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
6
|
Monsimet J, Colinet H, Devineau O, Lafage D, Pétillon J. Biogeographic position and body size jointly set lower thermal limits of wandering spiders. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:3347-3356. [PMID: 33841788 PMCID: PMC8019051 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most species encounter large variations in abiotic conditions along their distribution range. The physiological responses of most terrestrial ectotherms (such as insects and spiders) to clinal gradients of climate, and in particular gradients of temperature, can be the product of both phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation. This study aimed to determine how the biogeographic position of populations and the body size of individuals set the limits of cold (freezing) resistance of Dolomedes fimbriatus. We compared D. fimbriatus to its sister species Dolomedes plantarius under harsher climatic conditions in their distribution range. Using an ad hoc design, we sampled individuals from four populations of Dolomedes fimbriatus originating from contrasting climatic areas (temperate and continental climate) and one population of the sister species D. plantarius from continental climate, and compared their supercooling ability as an indicator of cold resistance. Results for D. fimbriatus indicated that spiders from northern (continental) populations had higher cold resistance than spiders from southern (temperate) populations. Larger spiders had a lower supercooling ability in northern populations. The red-listed and rarest D. plantarius was slightly less cold tolerant than the more common D. fimbriatus, and this might be of importance in a context of climate change that could imply colder overwintering habitats in the north due to reduced snow cover protection. The lowest cold resistance might put D. plantarius at risk of extinction in the future, and this should be considered in conservation plan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Monsimet
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Hervé Colinet
- CNRSECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] ‐ UMR 6553University of RennesRennesFrance
| | - Olivier Devineau
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Denis Lafage
- CNRSECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] ‐ UMR 6553University of RennesRennesFrance
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences/BiologyKarlstad UniversityKarlstadSweden
| | - Julien Pétillon
- CNRSECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] ‐ UMR 6553University of RennesRennesFrance
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wimp GM, Lewis D, Murphy SM. Prey identity but not prey quality affects spider performance. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 1:100013. [PMID: 36003602 PMCID: PMC9387502 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2021.100013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Prey identity affected the survival and body mass of a generalist spider predator. Trophic level of the prey did not affect spider survival and body mass. Prey identity and cordgrass quality had an interactive effect on spider body mass. Greater spider body mass led to greater egg production. In a literature review, female spider fitness increased with greater body size.
Increasing host plant quality affects higher trophic level predators, but whether such changes are simply a result of prey density or are also affected by changes in prey quality remain uncertain. Moreover, whether changes in prey quality affect measures of predator performance is understudied. Using a combination of field and greenhouse mesocosm experiments, we demonstrate that the survival and body size of a hunting spider (Pardosa littoralis Araneae: Lycosidae) is affected more by prey species identity than the trophic level of the prey. Furthermore, increasing host plant quality does not necessarily propagate through the food web by altering prey quality. While changes in plant quality affected spider body mass, they did so in opposite ways for spiders feeding on Prokelisia (Hemiptera: Delphacodes) herbivores relative to Tytthus (Hemiptera: Miridae) egg predators, and had no impact on spider body mass for two additional species of intraguild prey. These changes in body mass were important because greater body mass increased spider egg production. To examine the generality of this pattern, we reviewed the literature and found a consistent positive relationship between female body size and egg production for Pardosa species, indicating that body size is a reliable proxy for fitness. While many studies emphasize the importance of nitrogen to arthropod diets, this focus may be driven largely by our understanding of herbivore diets rather than predator diets. Thus, the positive impact of host plant quality on higher trophic level predators appears to be driven more by altering prey composition, density, and availability rather than simply providing predators with more nutritious prey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gina M. Wimp
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Danny Lewis
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Shannon M. Murphy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Beckers N, Hein N, Anneser A, Vanselow KA, Löffler J. Differences in Mobility and Dispersal Capacity Determine Body Size Clines in Two Common Alpine-Tundra Arthropods. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11020074. [PMID: 31979048 PMCID: PMC7074121 DOI: 10.3390/insects11020074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Arctic is projected to be severely impacted by changes in temperature and precipitation. Species react to these changes by shifts in ranges, phenology, and body size. In ectotherms, the patterns of body size clines and their underlying mechanisms are often hard to untangle. Mountains provide a space-for-time substitute to study these shifts along multiple spatial gradients. As such, mobility and dispersal capacity might conceal reactions with elevation. We test this influence on body size clines by comparing two common arthropods of the alpine tundra. We find that high mobility in the lycosid spider Pardosa palustris blurs elevational effects. Partially low mobility at least during development makes the carabid beetle Amara alpina more susceptible to elevational effects. Specific life-history mechanisms, such as brood care in lycosid spiders and holometabolic development in carabid beetles, are the possible cause.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Beckers
- Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, D-53115 Bonn, Germany; (N.H.); (A.A.); (J.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Nils Hein
- Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, D-53115 Bonn, Germany; (N.H.); (A.A.); (J.L.)
- School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Ilia State University, 0162 Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Alessa Anneser
- Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, D-53115 Bonn, Germany; (N.H.); (A.A.); (J.L.)
| | - Kim A. Vanselow
- Department of Geography, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Wetterkreuz 15, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Jörg Löffler
- Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, D-53115 Bonn, Germany; (N.H.); (A.A.); (J.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hein N, Löffler J, Feilhauer H. Mapping of arthropod alpha and beta diversity in heterogeneous arctic-alpine ecosystems. ECOL INFORM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2019.101007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
10
|
Elevational variation of body size and reproductive traits in high-latitude wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae). Polar Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-018-2391-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
11
|
Egg size versus egg number trade-off in the alpine-tundra wolf spider, Pardosa palustris (Araneae: Lycosidae). Polar Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-018-2301-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|