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1
Penney, David. "Does the fossil record of spiders track that of their principal prey, the insects?" Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences 94, no. 3 (September 2003): 275–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0263593300000675.
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ABSTRACTThe currently accepted cladogram of spider phylogeny and palaeontological data are used to evaluate spider family richness through geological time. A significantly more diverse spider fossil record is predicted than observed. The predicted rate of spider family diversification is considered more accurate because of its close similarity at 0 Ma to the number of extant families. Predicted spider family palaeodiversity is compared with insect family palaeodiversity to investigate whether spiders track insects through geological time. At the family level, the insects, and observed and predicted spider fossil records show an exponential increase over time, the pattern typical of a radiating group. No significant differences are observed in the rates of change in the slopes, and hence rate of diversification of spiders and insects over time. This suggests that spiders probably co-radiated alongside the insects, with the major radiations of both groups occurring at least 100 Ma before the origin of angiosperms.
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Li, Daiqin, and Robert R. Jackson. "Influence of diet on survivorship and growth in Portia fimbriata, an araneophagic jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 75, no. 10 (October 1, 1997): 1652–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z97-792.
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The influence of diet on survival rate and growth was investigated in Portia fimbriata, an araneophagic salticid spider in Queensland. Portia fimbriata spiderlings were reared on one of three different diets: spiders only, insects only, and a mixture of spiders and insects. For each diet, various spider and insect species were used, and the spider diets included as prey both cursorial salticid species and web-building species. Individuals on the insects-only diet did not survive past the fifth instar, whereas juveniles reached maturity when raised on the other diets. Survivorship of P. fimbriata raised on the spiders-only diet was significantly higher when they were fed on the mixed diet. Diet treatment had a significant effect on body dimensions measured at the fourth instar and at maturity. In addition, P. fimbriata reared on the spiders-only diet reached sexual maturity earlier than those reared on the mixed diet. These results suggest that there are fitness-related consequences of prey specialization in P. fimbriata.
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Rodríguez-Morales, Dulce, Helena Ajuria-Ibarra, Laura T. Hernández-Salazar, Víctor Rico-Gray, José G. García-Franco, and Dinesh Rao. "Response of flower visitors to the morphology and color of crab spiders in a coastal environment of the Gulf of Mexico." Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution 66, no. 1-2 (December 19, 2019): 32–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22244662-20191065.
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Abstract Predation is one of the main interactions between organisms and one of the primary selective agents for their survival. Both prey and predators have developed different strategies and characteristics that allow them to be conspicuous or go undetected. In sit and wait predators, their shape and appearance are important factors that allow them to remain undetected by their potential prey. Sit and wait predators such as crab spiders are difficult to identify when they sit on flowers or areas of flowers with colors similar to the color of their bodies. In this study, we aimed to determine if insects can recognize the morphology and color polymorphism of crab spiders by evaluating the response of flower visitors. We quantified the visits and approaches of floral visitors to the flowerheads of Palafoxia lindenii with spider morphology and color polymorphism treatments. Our results show that insects in general, and bees in particular, avoid visiting flowers with a real spider or a spider model and visit vacant flowers more frequently. In the case of the color polymorphism, insects approached flowerheads with spiders with a similar frequency independently of the color of the spiders, but did not visit them. Insects appeared to identify spiders through their morphological characteristics rather than their color characteristics, since flower visitors did not discriminate between the evaluated spider colors (white, lilac, and purple). This study emphasizes the differential response of different insect prey to the presence, color, and morphology of sit and wait predators.
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Gomes, Dylan G. E. "Orb-weaving spiders are fewer but larger and catch more prey in lit bridge panels from a natural artificial light experiment." PeerJ 8 (March 17, 2020): e8808. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8808.
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Artificial light at night is rapidly changing the sensory world. While evidence is accumulating for how insects are affected, it is not clear how this impacts higher trophic levels that feed on insect communities. Spiders are important insect predators that have recently been shown to have increased abundance in urban areas, but have shown mixed responses to artificial light. On a single bridge with alternating artificially lit and unlit sections, I measured changes in the orb-weaving spider Larinioides sclopetarius (Araneidae) web abundance, web-building behavior, prey-capture, and body condition. In artificially lit conditions, spiders caught more prey with smaller webs, and had higher body conditions. However, there were fewer spiders with active webs in those lit areas. This suggests that either spiders were not taking advantage of an ecological insect trap, perhaps due to an increased risk of becoming prey themselves, or were satiated, and thus not as active within these habitats. The results from this natural experiment may have important consequences for both insects and spiders in urban areas under artificial lighting conditions.
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Kelly, Sean P., Elvira Cuevas, and Alonso Ramírez. "Stable isotope analyses of web-spinning spider assemblages along a headwater stream in Puerto Rico." PeerJ 3 (October 15, 2015): e1324. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1324.
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Web-spinning spiders that inhabit stream channels are considered specialists of aquatic ecosystems and are major consumers of emerging aquatic insects, while other spider taxa are more commonly found in riparian forests and as a result may consume more terrestrial insects. To determine if there was a difference in spider taxa abundance between riverine web-spinning spider assemblages within the stream channel and the assemblages 10 m into the riparian forest, we compared abundances for all web-spinning spiders along a headwater stream in El Yunque National Forest in northeast Puerto Rico. By using a nonmetric dimensional scaling (NMDS) abundance analysis we were able to see a clear separation of the two spider assemblages. The second objective of the study was to determine if aquatic insects contributed more to the diet of the spider assemblages closest to the stream channel and therefore stable isotope analyses ofδ15N andδ13C for web-spinning spiders along with their possible prey were utilized. The results of the Bayesian mixing model (SIAR) however showed little difference in the diets of riverine (0 m), riparian (10 m) and upland (25 m) spiders. We found that aquatic insects made up ∼50% of the diet for web-spinning spiders collected at 0 m, 10 m, and 25 m from the stream. This study highlights the importance of aquatic insects as a food source for web-spinning spiders despite the taxonomic differences in assemblages at different distances from the stream.
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Zapata, Martha J., and S. Mažeika P. Sullivan. "Spatial and seasonal variability of emergent aquatic insects and nearshore spiders in a subtropical estuary." Marine and Freshwater Research 70, no. 4 (2019): 541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf18130.
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Variability in the density and distribution of adult aquatic insects is an important factor mediating aquatic-to-terrestrial nutritional subsidies in freshwater ecosystems, yet less is understood about insect-facilitated subsidy dynamics in estuaries. We surveyed emergent (i.e. adult) aquatic insects and nearshore orb-weaving spiders of the families Tetragnathidae and Araneidae in a subtropical estuary of Florida (USA). Emergent insect community composition varied seasonally and spatially; densities were lower at high- than low-salinity sites. At high-salinity sites, emergent insects exhibited lower dispersal ability and a higher prevalence of univoltinism than low- and mid-salinity assemblages. Orb-weaving spider density most strongly tracked emergent insect density rates at low- and mid-salinity sites. Tetragnatha body condition was 96% higher at high-salinity sites than at low-salinity sites. Our findings contribute to our understanding of aquatic insect communities in estuarine ecosystems and indicate that aquatic insects may provide important nutritional subsidies to riparian consumers despite their depressed abundance and diversity compared with freshwater ecosystems.
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Tagwireyi, Paradzayi, and S. Mažeika P. Sullivan. "Distribution and trophic dynamics of riparian tetragnathid spiders in a large river system." Marine and Freshwater Research 67, no. 3 (2016): 309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf14335.
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Development and agriculture are increasingly encroaching into riparian areas, with largely unknown effects on nearshore arthropods, which are important components of linked aquatic–terrestrial food webs. To assess the environmental determinants of the distribution and trophic dynamics of riparian spiders of the family Tetragnathidae, we characterised riparian habitat, collected emergent aquatic insects, and surveyed spiders in developed and rural landscapes of the Scioto River system, Ohio, USA, which provided a range of riparian land cover, nearshore vegetation types and habitat complexity. We also estimated the trophic position (TP) of Tetragnathidae and the proportion of energetic and nutritional subsidies derived from benthic algae (EBA) using naturally abundant carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotopes. Model-selection results revealed that tetragnathid spider density (1.57–3.80individualsm–1) was more sensitive to differences in overhanging vegetation than to those in aquatic food resources (i.e. emergent aquatic insects). Tetragnathidae TP, which averaged 3.16 across all 12 study reaches (range: 2.35–3.98), was largely driven by canopy density, shoreline shape, percentage overhanging vegetation and emergent-insect density. Emergent-insect density was the strongest driver of tetragnathid spider EBA (0.04–0.54, µ=0.24). Our study reinforced the notion that riparian spiders ecologically link aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In particular, our results further current understanding of the mechanisms affecting riparian spider distribution and trophic dynamics, particularly in the context of larger stream and river systems, given that the propensity of related research has occurred in small streams.
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Zapata, Martha J., and S. Mažeika P. Sullivan. "Corrigendum to: Spatial and seasonal variability of emergent aquatic insects and nearshore spiders in a subtropical estuary." Marine and Freshwater Research 70, no. 4 (2019): 609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf18130_co.
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Variability in the density and distribution of adult aquatic insects is an important factor mediating aquatic-to-terrestrial nutritional subsidies in freshwater ecosystems, yet less is understood about insect-facilitated subsidy dynamics in estuaries. We surveyed emergent (i.e. adult) aquatic insects and nearshore orb-weaving spiders of the families Tetragnathidae and Araneidae in a subtropical estuary of Florida (USA). Emergent insect community composition varied seasonally and spatially; densities were lower at high- than low-salinity sites. At high-salinity sites, emergent insects exhibited lower dispersal ability and a higher prevalence of univoltinism than low- and mid-salinity assemblages. Orb-weaving spider density most strongly tracked emergent insect density rates at low- and mid-salinity sites. Tetragnatha body condition was 96% higher at high-salinity sites than at low-salinity sites. Our findings contribute to our understanding of aquatic insect communities in estuarine ecosystems and indicate that aquatic insects may provide important nutritional subsidies to riparian consumers despite their depressed abundance and diversity compared with freshwater ecosystems.
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Pechmann, Matthias, Evelyn E. Schwager, Natascha Turetzek, and Nikola-Michael Prpic. "Regressive evolution of the arthropod tritocerebral segment linked to functional divergence of the Hox gene labial." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282, no. 1814 (September 7, 2015): 20151162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.1162.
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The intercalary segment is a limbless version of the tritocerebral segment and is present in the head of all insects, whereas other extant arthropods have retained limbs on their tritocerebral segment (e.g. the pedipalp limbs in spiders). The evolutionary origin of limb loss on the intercalary segment has puzzled zoologists for over a century. Here we show that an intercalary segment-like phenotype can be created in spiders by interfering with the function of the Hox gene labial . This links the origin of the intercalary segment to a functional change in labial . We show that in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum the labial gene has two functions: one function in head tissue maintenance that is conserved between spiders and insects, and a second function in pedipalp limb promotion and specification, which is only present in spiders. These results imply that labial was originally crucial for limb formation on the tritocerebral segment, but that it has lost this particular subfunction in the insect ancestor, resulting in limb loss on the intercalary segment. Such loss of a subfunction is a way to avoid adverse pleiotropic effects normally associated with mutations in developmental genes, and may thus be a common mechanism to accelerate regressive evolution.
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Huang, Xuan, Xiaoyu Quan, Xia Wang, Yueli Yun, and Yu Peng. "Is the spider a good biological control agent for Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)?" Zoologia 35 (August 10, 2018): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.35.e23481.
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Spiders, as predators of insects and other invertebrates, are an important part of the natural enemies, and they are recognized as an important biological control agent. Plutellaxylostella (Linnaeus, 1758), the diamondback moth (DBM), is a well-known and destructive insect pest of brassicaceous crops worldwide. Here, we analyzed the functional responses of four spiders (Araneae) – Ebrechtellatricuspidata (Fabricius, 1775) (Thomisidae), Pardosalaura (Karsch, 1879) (Lycosidae), Pardosaastrigera (Koch, 1878) (Lycosidae), and Pardosapseudoannulata (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (Lycosidae) – on P.xylostella larvae. We also analyzed intraspecific disturbances in the predation reaction and the intensity of scrambling competition of the spiders to P.xylostella larvae. Our results demonstrated that the functional responses of four spiders of different genera were in line with the Holling II model. Two Lycosidae spiders (P.astrigera and P.pseudoannulata) had the potential to control P.xylostella, and female and male spiders that belonged to the same species had different functional responses to P.xylostella. The functional responses of female predation of P.astrigena, P.laura, and P.pseudoannulata was stronger than the males, but male E.tricuspidatus had stronger functional responses to predation than females. We used the Hassell model to describe the intraspecific disturbance experiments of four spiders. There were intraspecific disturbances in the predation reactions of spiders, indicating that the predation ratio of spiders decreased in relation to the increase of its density, and with the increase of spider density, the intensity of scrambling competition of the spider increased.
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Nyffeler, Martin, and Dries Bonte. "Where Have All the Spiders Gone? Observations of a Dramatic Population Density Decline in the Once Very Abundant Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae), in the Swiss Midland." Insects 11, no. 4 (April 15, 2020): 248. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects11040248.
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Aerial web-spinning spiders (including large orb-weavers), as a group, depend almost entirely on flying insects as a food source. The recent widespread loss of flying insects across large parts of western Europe, in terms of both diversity and biomass, can therefore be anticipated to have a drastic negative impact on the survival and abundance of this type of spider. To test the putative importance of such a hitherto neglected trophic cascade, a survey of population densities of the European garden spider Araneus diadematus—a large orb-weaving species—was conducted in the late summer of 2019 at twenty sites in the Swiss midland. The data from this survey were compared with published population densities for this species from the previous century. The study verified the above-mentioned hypothesis that this spider’s present-day overall mean population density has declined alarmingly to densities much lower than can be expected from normal population fluctuations (0.7% of the historical values). Review of other available records suggested that this pattern is widespread and not restricted to this region. In conclusion, the decline of this once so abundant spider in the Swiss midland is evidently revealing a bottom-up trophic cascade in response to the widespread loss of flying insect prey in recent decades.
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Qureshi, S. A., D. J. Midmore, S. S. Syeda, and D. J. Reid. "A comparison of alternative plant mixes for conservation bio-control by native beneficial arthropods in vegetable cropping systems in Queensland Australia." Bulletin of Entomological Research 100, no. 1 (March 27, 2009): 67–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007485309006774.
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AbstractCucurbit crops host a range of serious sap-sucking insect pests, including silverleaf whitefly (SLW) and aphids, which potentially represent considerable risk to the Australian horticulture industry. These pests are extremely polyphagous with a wide host range. Chemical control is made difficult due to resistance and pollution, and other side-effects are associated with insecticide use. Consequently, there is much interest in maximising the role of biological control in the management of these sap-sucking insect pests. This study aimed to evaluate companion cropping alongside cucurbit crops in a tropical setting as a means to increase the populations of beneficial insects and spiders so as to control the major sap-sucking insect pests. The population of beneficial and harmful insects, with a focus on SLW and aphids, and other invertebrates were sampled weekly on four different crops which could be used for habitat manipulation: Goodbug Mix (GBM; a proprietary seed mixture including self-sowing annual and perennial herbaceous flower species); lablab (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet); lucerne (Medicago sativa L.); and niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.). Lablab hosted the highest numbers of beneficial insects (larvae and adults of lacewing (Mallada signata (Schneider)), ladybird beetles (Coccinella transversalis Fabricius) and spiders) while GBM hosted the highest numbers of European bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) and spiders. Lucerne and niger showed little promise in hosting beneficial insects, but lucerne hosted significantly more spiders (double the numbers) than niger. Lucerne hosted sig-nificantly more of the harmful insect species of aphids (Aphis gossypii (Glover)) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer)) and heliothis (Heliothis armigera Hübner). Niger hosted significantly more vegetable weevils (Listroderes difficillis (Germar)) than the other three species. Therefore, lablab and GBM appear to be viable options to grow within cucurbits or as field boundary crops to attract and increase beneficial insects and spiders for the control of sap-sucking insect pests. Use of these bio-control strategies affords the opportunity to minimise pesticide usage and the risks associated with pollution.
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Meyer-Rochow, Victor Benno, and Aimo Kejonen. "Could Western Attitudes towards Edible Insects Possibly be Influenced by Idioms Containing Unfavourable References to Insects, Spiders and other Invertebrates?" Foods 9, no. 2 (February 11, 2020): 172. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods9020172.
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It is known that idioms, proverbs, and slogans can become integrated into feelings like irritation, contemptuous attitudes, and even anger and disgust. Idioms making reference to insects, spiders, and other invertebrates occur in all languages, but they convey mostly negative content in people of Western cultural orientation. By analyzing a subgroup of insect and spider idioms related to food, eating, and digestion, the authors suggest that mirror neurons are activated in people that are exposed to the largely unfavorable content of such idioms. This could then lead the listener of such idioms to adopt the kind of negative attitude towards insects that is expressed in the idioms and to project it towards edible species.
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Su, Qichen, Lin Qi, Wei Zhang, Yueli Yun, Yao Zhao, and Yu Peng. "Biodiversity Survey of Flower-Visiting Spiders Based on Literature Review and Field Study." Environmental Entomology 49, no. 3 (April 13, 2020): 673–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaa022.
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Abstract Many arthropods exhibit flower-visiting behavior, including a variety of spider species. However, as spiders are assumed to be strictly predatory, flower-visiting spiders are an often neglected group. We conducted a systematic biodiversity study of flower-visiting spiders based on published papers and field surveys. Most previous studies have focused on the herbivorous behavior of flower-visiting spiders (nectivory or pollinivory) and their effects on host flowers (tritrophic interactions with flower-visiting insects). In our field survey, we utilized standard transect walks (active sampling) and colored pan traps (passive sampling) to investigate species occurrence, diurnal and seasonal variation, and flower color preference of flower-visiting spiders. From the transect walks, crab spider species were found to be the dominant flower-visiting spiders and, based on all spider species, juvenile visitors were significantly more common than adults. Furthermore, in terms of spider number and species richness, tulips were the preferred flower to visit. For the pan traps, wolf spiders were found to be the dominant spider species. No significant differences were observed in the number of spiders caught in different colored pans, suggesting that color may not be an important flower trait in regard to spider preference. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to propose the term ‘flower-visiting spiders’ and conduct a systematic investigation of their diversity. However, this is preliminary research and further studies are required, especially as biodiversity is often closely linked to survey sites and ecotopes.
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Andrews, Kindra, Scott M. Reed, and Susan E. Masta. "Spiders fluoresce variably across many taxa." Biology Letters 3, no. 3 (April 3, 2007): 265–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0016.
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The evolution of fluorescence is largely unexplored, despite the newfound occurrence of this phenomenon in a variety of organisms. We document that spiders fluoresce under ultraviolet illumination, and find that the expression of this trait varies greatly among taxa in this species-rich group. All spiders we examined possess fluorophores in their haemolymph, but bright fluorescence appears to result when a spider sequesters fluorophores in its setae or cuticle. By sampling widely across spider taxa, we determine that fluorescent expression is labile and has evolved multiple times. Moreover, examination of the excitation and emission properties of extracted fluorophores reveals that spiders possess multiple fluorophores and that these differ among some families, indicating that novel fluorophores have evolved during spider diversification. Because many spiders fluoresce in wavelengths visible to their predators and prey (birds and insects), we propose that natural selection imposed by predator–prey interactions may drive the evolution of fluorescence in spiders.
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Tso, I.-Min. "Isolated Spider Web Stabillmentum Attracts Insects." Behaviour 135, no. 3 (1998): 311–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853998793066276.
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AbstractThe insect-attraction function of silk stabilimenta spun by Argiope spiders was directly tested by examining if isolated stabilimenta will increase insect interception in artificial webs. Artificial webs were made from basswood frames and fine monofilaments coated with a sticky substance and were divided into two groups, experimental and control. In the experimental group, silk stabilimenta isolated from stabilimentum-decorated webs spun by Argiope aurantia were introduced. In the control group, corresponding areas collected from the undecorated webs of A. trifasciata were introduced. A general linear model was used to examine the effect of stabilimenta, web location, and date of data collection on insect interception in artificial webs. When the effects of location and date were simultaneously considered, artificial webs containing isolated stabilimenta intercepted significantly more flying insects (41.6% more) than those in the control group. However, there was no difference in orthopteran interception rates between experimental and control groups. These results indicate that silk stabilimenta of Argiope spiders do attract insects, although not all insects exhibit a strong orientation response to them.
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Sensenig, Andrew T., Kimberly A. Lorentz, Sean P. Kelly, and Todd A. Blackledge. "Spider orb webs rely on radial threads to absorb prey kinetic energy." Journal of The Royal Society Interface 9, no. 73 (March 19, 2012): 1880–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2011.0851.
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The kinetic energy of flying insect prey is a formidable challenge for orb-weaving spiders. These spiders construct two-dimensional, round webs from a combination of stiff, strong radial silk and highly elastic, glue-coated capture spirals. Orb webs must first stop the flight of insect prey and then retain those insects long enough to be subdued by the spiders. Consequently, spider silks rank among the toughest known biomaterials. The large number of silk threads composing a web suggests that aerodynamic dissipation may also play an important role in stopping prey. Here, we quantify energy dissipation in orb webs spun by diverse species of spiders using data derived from high-speed videos of web deformation under prey impact. By integrating video data with material testing of silks, we compare the relative contributions of radial silk, the capture spiral and aerodynamic dissipation. Radial silk dominated energy absorption in all webs, with the potential to account for approximately 100 per cent of the work of stopping prey in larger webs. The most generous estimates for the roles of capture spirals and aerodynamic dissipation show that they rarely contribute more than 30 per cent and 10 per cent of the total work of stopping prey, respectively, and then only for smaller orb webs. The reliance of spider orb webs upon internal energy absorption by radial threads for prey capture suggests that the material properties of the capture spirals are largely unconstrained by the selective pressures of stopping prey and can instead evolve freely in response to alternative functional constraints such as adhering to prey.
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Castner, James L. "How To Photograph Insects ' Spiders." American Entomologist 41, no. 4 (1995): 252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ae/41.4.252.
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Ceccarelli, Fadia Sara. "Ant-Mimicking Spiders: Strategies for Living with Social Insects." Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2013 (2013): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/839181.
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Mimicry is a fascinating topic, in particular when viewed in terms of selective forces and evolutionary strategies. Mimicry is a system involving a signaller, a signal receiver, and a model and has evolved independently many times in plants and animals. There are several ways of classifying mimicry based on the interactions and cost-benefit scenarios of the parties involved. In this review, I briefly outline the dynamics of the most common types of mimicry to then apply it to some of the spider-ant associative systems known to date. In addition, this review expands on the strategies that ant-associating (in particular ant-mimicking) spiders have developed to minimise the costs of living close to colonies of potentially dangerous models. The main strategy that has been noted to date is either chemical mimicry or actively avoiding contact with ants. If these strategies warrant protection for the spider (living close to potentially dangerous models), then the benefits of ant associations would outweigh the costs, and the association will prevail.
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Abilhoa, Vinícius, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule, and Hugo Bornatowski. "Feeding ecology of Rivulus luelingi (Aplocheiloidei: Rivulidae) in a Coastal Atlantic Rainforest stream, southern Brazil." Neotropical Ichthyology 8, no. 4 (October 15, 2010): 813–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1679-62252010005000012.
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Feeding habits of the killifish Rivulus luelingi collected in a black water stream of the Coastal Atlantic Rainforest in southern Brazil were investigated. Eight samplings were made between April 2003 and January 2004. The diet, assessed through a similarity matrix with the estimated contribution values of food items, included microcrustaceans, aquatic immature insects (larvae and pupae), aquatic adult insects, terrestrial insects, insect fragments, spiders, and plant fragments. Differences in the diet according to temporal variations (months) were registered, but changes related with size classes evaluated and high/low precipitation period were not observed. The species presented an insectivorous feeding habit, and its diet in the studied stream was composed of autochthonous (mainly aquatic immature insects) and allochthonous (mainly insect fragments) material.
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Dimitrov, Dimitar, and Gustavo Hormiga. "Spider Diversification Through Space and Time." Annual Review of Entomology 66, no. 1 (January 7, 2021): 225–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-061520-083414.
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Spiders (Araneae) make up a remarkably diverse lineage of predators that have successfully colonized most terrestrial ecosystems. All spiders produce silk, and many species use it to build capture webs with an extraordinary diversity of forms. Spider diversity is distributed in a highly uneven fashion across lineages. This strong imbalance in species richness has led to several causal hypotheses, such as codiversification with insects, key innovations in silk structure and web architecture, and loss of foraging webs. Recent advances in spider phylogenetics have allowed testing of some of these hypotheses, but results are often contradictory, highlighting the need to consider additional drivers of spider diversification. The spatial and historical patterns of diversity and diversification remain contentious. Comparative analyses of spider diversification will advance only if we continue to make progress with studies of species diversity, distribution, and phenotypic traits, together with finer-scale phylogenies and genomic data.
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Frank, J. H., and G. C. McGavin. "Insects[,] Spiders and Other Terrestrial Arthropods." Florida Entomologist 83, no. 3 (September 2000): 386. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3496368.
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Hamana, Koei, Masaru Niitsu, Keijiro Samejima, and Shigeru Matsuzaki. "Novel polyamines in insects and spiders." Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry 100, no. 2 (January 1991): 399–402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0305-0491(91)90393-r.
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Hanif, Khoirul Ikhsanudin, Siti Herlinda, Chandra Irsan, Tili Karenina, Erise Anggraini, Suwandi Suwandi, and Susilawati Susilawati. "Populasi Serangga Hama dan Artropoda Predator pada Padi Rawa Lebak Sumatera Selatan yang Diaplikasikan Bioinsektisida dari Beauveria bassiana dan Insektisida Sintetik." Jurnal Lahan Suboptimal : Journal of Suboptimal Lands 8, no. 1 (January 17, 2019): 31–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.33230/jlso.8.1.2019.378.
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Hanif et al, 2019. Population of Pest Insects and Predatory Arthropods Inhabiting Freshwater Swamp Rice of South Sumatra Treated with Bioinsectide of Beauveria bassiana and a Synthetic Insecticide. JLSO (8)1:31-38.Entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana, could kill various species of insect pests, but their impact on predatory arthropods needs to be studied. The aim of this study was to compare population of pest insects and predatory arthropods inhabiting rice sprayed with bioinsecticide of B. bassiana and conventional rice field using a synthetic insecticides. Bioinsecticide was made from conidia of B. bassiana and sprayed on rice canopy. The plot of conventional farmers was sprayed with synthetic insecticides made from Abamektrin. The results showed that the application of bioinsecticide of B. bassiana was not proven to reduce the pest insect population. The abundance of natural enemies of pest insects, such as spiders and predatory insects was also more abundant in plots sprayed with bioinsecticide than conventional plots that used synthetic insecticide. The synthetic insecticides have been shown to reduce the abundance of predatory insects and spiders. Bioinsecticides containing carrier of liquid compost were proven to increase the growth and development of rice, which was an increase in the number of rice tillers per clump in plots applied by bioinsecticide. Thus, B. bassiana of bioinsecticide with liquid compost carrier material was safer and could maintain the abundance of predatory arthropods and increased rice growth.
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Abilhoa, Vinícius, Hugo Bornatowski, and Gislaine Otto. "Temporal and ontogenetic variations in feeding habits of Hollandichthys multifasciatus (Teleostei: Characidae) in coastal Atlantic rainforest streams, southern Brazil." Neotropical Ichthyology 7, no. 3 (September 4, 2009): 415–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1679-62252009005000001.
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Feeding habits of the characin Hollandichthys multifasciatus were investigated. Samplings were made between March 2004 and February 2005 in two black water streams of the coastal Atlantic rainforest in southern Brazil. The diet, evaluated by qualitative and quantitative methods, included aquatic and terrestrial insects, decapods, oligochaetes, plants and spiders. Large individuals feed mainly on plants, terrestrial insects, and spiders, whereas small fish feed basically on plants and oligochaetes. The species showed an omnivorous feeding habit, and its diet was composed of autochthonous (mainly oligochaetes) and allochthonous (plants and terrestrial insects) material.
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Harris, B. A., E. M. Poole, S. K. Braman, and S. V. Pennisi. "Consumer-Ready Insect Hotels: An Assessment of Arthropod Visitation and Nesting Success." Journal of Entomological Science 56, no. 2 (April 1, 2021): 141–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-56.2.141.
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Abstract Insect nesting boxes and hotels have the potential to provide shelter and overwintering sites for beneficial insect communities such as pollinating bees, wasps, earwigs, and other predatory arthropods. This study evaluated beneficial arthropod visitation to consumer-ready, commercially available nesting boxes over a 2-yr period. Insect hotels were placed on mature river birch (Betula nigra L.) and crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica L.) in garden plots established with floral resources for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Paper and thread-waisted wasps, soldier flies, predatory ants, and spiders were observed visiting the boxes. Boxes located in garden plot treatments (with floral resources) had the greatest numbers and diversity of pollinator and beneficial insect taxa compared to control plot treatments (naturalized areas away from floral resources) in 2016. Insect hotels placed on B. nigra had a higher number of thread-waisted wasps in 2016 and spiders and total beneficial insects in 2017. Higher numbers of predatory ants and total beneficial arthropods were found in boxes placed on L. indica in 2016. During the study, bamboo stems and drilled tunnels in the insect boxes were evaluated for arthropod inhabitance. Largest counts of occupied stems and tunnels were observed in boxes placed in proximity to floral resources and on L. indica trees.
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Walter, André, Constanze Westphal, Peter Bliss, and Robin F. A. Moritz. "Drinking behaviour of the orb web spider Argiope bruennichi (Araneae; Araneidae)." Behaviour 148, no. 11-13 (2011): 1295–309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/000579511x603292.
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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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Storm, Jonathan J., and Steven L. Lima. "Predator-naïve fall field crickets respond to the chemical cues of wolf spiders." Canadian Journal of Zoology 86, no. 11 (November 2008): 1259–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z08-114.
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Few studies have addressed whether terrestrial insects assess predation risk via chemical cues. We exposed predator-naïve fall field crickets ( Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister, 1838) to filter paper containing the chemical cues of three wolf spiders ( Hogna helluo (Walckenaer, 1837), Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer, 1837), Rabidosa punctulata (Hentz, 1844)), the house cricket ( Acheta domesticus L., 1758,) and blank filter paper. Crickets exhibited greater immobility and reduced speed of movement when exposed to chemical cues of all three spider species. Crickets exhibited reduced speed with increasing mass of R. punctulata, suggesting that larger spiders may pose a greater risk. Cricket response did not differ between cues of H. helluo fed conspecific crickets versus H. helluo fed house crickets, suggesting that crickets cannot distinguish between cues from H. helluo fed phylogenetically similar crickets. Our work nevertheless demonstrates that naïve field crickets respond to chemical cues of several species of wolf spiders.
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Duman, J. G., V. Bennett, T. Sformo, R. Hochstrasser, and B. M. Barnes. "Antifreeze proteins in Alaskan insects and spiders." Journal of Insect Physiology 50, no. 4 (April 2004): 259–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2003.12.003.
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Blackledge, Todd A., and Chad M. Eliason. "Functionally independent components of prey capture are architecturally constrained in spider orb webs." Biology Letters 3, no. 5 (July 3, 2007): 456–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0218.
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Evolutionary conflict in trait performance under different ecological contexts is common, but may also arise from functional coupling between traits operating within the same context. Orb webs first intercept and then retain insects long enough to be attacked by spiders. Improving either function increases prey capture and they are largely determined by different aspects of web architecture. We manipulated the mesh width of orbs to investigate its effect, along with web size, on prey capture by spiders and found that they functioned independently. Probability of prey capture increased with web size but was not affected by mesh width. Conversely, spiders on narrow-meshed webs were almost three times more likely to capture energetically profitable large insects, which demand greater prey retention. Yet, the two functions are still constrained during web spinning because increasing mesh width maximizes web size and hence interception, while retention is improved by decreasing mesh width because more silk adheres to insects. The architectural coupling between prey interception and retention has probably played a key role in both the macroevolution of orb web shape and the expression of plasticity in the spinning behaviours of spiders.
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Franin, Kristijan, Božena Barić, and Gabrijela Kuštera. "The role of ecological infrastructure on beneficial arthropods in vineyards." Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 14, no. 1 (March 2, 2016): e0303. http://dx.doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2016141-7371.
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Weeds and non-cultivated plants have a great impact on abundance and diversity of beneficial arthropods in agriculture. The main aim of this work was to study the influence of the ecological infrastructure (meadows and weedy margins) on the arthropod composition in vineyard surrounding landscape. Research was carried out from May to October during three years. Sampling took place in the ecological infrastructure of three differently managed vineyards (organic, integrated and extensive). Three zones were chosen in each vineyard (3 m, 10 m, and 30 m from the edge of the vineyard). Samples were taken using a standardised sweep net method. In total, we captured 6032 spiders and 1309 insects belonging to 4 orders and 10 families. Arthropod fauna was numerically dominated by Aranea (82.1%); among insects, Coleoptera was the most abundant taxonomic group (10.6%); Neuroptera showed the lowest value (0.88%). Significant differences were found between sites and zones. Organic vineyard showed the highest abundance of arthropods (92.41% were spiders) and in the integrated vineyard there was a 23% of insects. Both the highest abundance of arthropods and the highest Shannon Index value (2.46) was found 3 m away from the edge of the vineyard. Results showed that spiders were the dominant arthropods and ladybugs the dominant insects. Weedy strips near the edge of the vineyard contained a high number of insects and spiders. Our results support the importance of weedy margins in enhancing the population of arthropods as well as in biodiversity promotion. Well-managed field margins could play important role in biological control of vineyard pests.
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Sunariah, Fina, Chandra Irsan, and Yuanita Windusari. "KELIMPAHAN DAN KEKAYAAN ARTROPODA PREDATOR PADA TANAMAN PADI YANG DIAPLIKASI BIOINSEKTISIDA BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS." JURNAL HAMA DAN PENYAKIT TUMBUHAN TROPIKA 16, no. 1 (October 10, 2016): 42. http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/j.hptt.11642-50.
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Abundance and species richness of the predatory arthropods on paddy treated with Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticide. Application of bioinsecticide from bacterial entomopathogen has not been reported yet that can decrease abundance and species richness of predatory arthropods, such as spiders and predatory insects. This research was aimed to analyze the abundance and species richness of predatory arthropods paddy fields applied by B. thuringiensis bioinsecticide on paddy in fresh swamp area. Areas observed were 2 ha paddy field’s at Situ Bagendit variety. Predatory arthropods inhabiting canopy were sampled using sweep but soil dwelling arthropods were trapped using pitfall traps. The result showed that abundance of spiders inhabiting canopy decreased significantly after B. thuringiensis bioinsecticide application on paddy compared to control without bioinsecticide but the abundance of predatory insects were not significantly affected by the bioinsecticide. Application of the bioinsecticide did not significantly affect the abundance and species richness of soil dwelling predatory arthropods, such as spiders and predatory insects.
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Pal, Partha, and Spandita Roy. "Edible Insects: Future of Human Food - A Review." International Letters of Natural Sciences 26 (September 2014): 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilns.26.1.
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The practice of eating insects is known as entomophagy. Many animals, such as spiders, lizards and birds, are entomophagous, as are many insects. People throughout the world have been eating insects as a regular part of their diets for millennia. As people in rural areas suffer from under nutrition, especially protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in Africa, Latin America and Asia, alternative nutritional food sources are needed. From ants to beetle larvae – eaten by tribes in Africa and Australia as part of their subsistence diets – to the popular, crispy-fried locusts and beetles enjoyed in Thailand, it is estimated that insect-eating is practised regularly by at least 2 billion people worldwide. More than 1900 insect species have been documented in literature as edible, most of them in tropical countries. The most commonly eaten insect groups are beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, cicadas, leaf and plant hoppers, scale insects and true bugs, termites, dragonflies and flies. The purpose of the present review is to determine the status of present research in the context of the potentiality of insects as alternative food source to cope up with the emerging problem of global food crisis
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Mellbrand, Kajsa, and Peter A. Hambäck. "Coastal niches for terrestrial predators: a stable isotope study." Canadian Journal of Zoology 88, no. 11 (November 2010): 1077–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z10-074.
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The purpose of this study was to identify the use of marine versus terrestrial food items by terrestrial arthropod predators on Baltic Sea shores. The inflow of marine nutrients in the area consists mainly of marine algal detritus and emerging aquatic insects (e.g., chironomids). Diets of coastal arthropods were examined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in a two source mixing model. The results suggest that spiders are the terrestrial predators mainly utilizing nutrients and energy of marine origin on Baltic Sea shores, whereas insect predators such as beetles and heteropterans mainly utilize nutrients and energy derived from terrestrial sources, possibly owing to differences in hunting behaviour. That spiders are the predators which benefit the most from the marine inflow suggest that eventual effects of marine subsidies for the coastal ecosystem as a whole are likely mediated by spiders.
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Li, Daiqin. "Prey preferences of Phaeacius malayensis, a spartaeine jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae) from Singapore." Canadian Journal of Zoology 78, no. 12 (December 1, 2000): 2218–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z00-176.
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Phaeacius malayensis (Salticidae: Spartaeinae) is an atypical jumping spider that routinely includes other jumping spiders in its diet. This paper presents the first detailed study of P. malayensis' prey preferences. Three basic types of tests of prey preference were used: different types of prey were provided on alternate days (alternate-day tests), two types of prey were provided simultaneously (simultaneous-presentation tests), and an alternative prey type was provided while the predator was already feeding (alternative-prey tests). In alternate-day and simultaneous-presentation testing, but not in alternative-prey testing, (i) P. malayensis preferred spiders (salticids and hunting spiders) to insects; (ii) P. malayensis preferred salticids to hunting spiders; (iii) these preferences were not exhibited in some paired choices when the background was nonmatching, indicating that visual concealment is important with respect to some, but not all, prey; (iv) P. malayensis' prey preferences were not affected by a prior 14-day period without food; (v) after 21 days of fasting, P. malayensis took different types of prey indiscriminately. The adaptive significance of preferences for particular types of prey is discussed in the context of optimal-foraging theory.
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Bucher, Roman, Jonas Rochlitz, Nathalie Wegner, Anna Heiß, Alexander Grebe, Dana G. Schabo, and Nina Farwig. "Deer Exclusion Changes Vegetation Structure and Hunting Guilds of Spiders, but Not Multitrophic Understory Biodiversity." Diversity 13, no. 1 (January 12, 2021): 25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d13010025.
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Ungulate herbivores modify plant community compositions, which can modulate biodiversity at higher trophic levels. However, these cascading effects on herbivorous and predatory arthropods in forest ecosystems remain poorly understood. We compared plant and arthropod communities between fenced exclosures and unfenced control plots in a permanent forest in Germany. After five years of deer exclusion, we quantified plant diversity and vegetation structure as well as the diversity of insects and spiders in 32 pair-wise plots. In addition, we compared spider communities with respect to different hunting guilds because they are expected to have different requirements for vegetation structure. Although we did not find differences in plant communities, vegetation height and heterogeneity were higher in exclosures compared to control plots. The diversity of insects and spiders was not affected by deer presence. However, the abundance of sheet-web weavers and ambush hunters was lower in exclosures whereas ground hunters were more common in exclosure plots. Structural changes in the vegetation changed predator hunting guilds even though mere abundance and biodiversity indices were not affected. We therefore suggest that monitoring of vegetation structure and associated functional groups seems more sensitive to assess the impact of ungulate herbivores compared to taxonomic metrics.
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Cho, Moonsung, and Iván Santibáñez Koref. "The Importance of a Filament-like Structure in Aerial Dispersal and the Rarefaction Effect of Air Molecules on a Nanoscale Fiber: Detailed Physics in Spiders’ Ballooning." Integrative and Comparative Biology 60, no. 4 (June 9, 2020): 864–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/icaa063.
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Synopsis Many flying insects utilize a membranous structure for flight, which is known as a “wing.” However, some spiders use silk fibers for their aerial dispersal. It is well known that spiders can disperse over hundreds of kilometers and rise several kilometers above the ground in this way. However, little is known about the ballooning mechanisms of spiders, owing to the lack of quantitative data. Recently, Cho et al. discovered previously unknown information on the types and physical properties of spiders’ ballooning silks. According to the data, a crab spider weighing 20 mg spins 50–60 ballooning silks simultaneously, which are about 200 nm thick and 3.22 m long for their flight. Based on these physical dimensions of ballooning silks, the significance of these filament-like structures is explained by a theoretical analysis reviewing the fluid-dynamics of an anisotropic particle (like a filament or a high-slender body). (1) The filament-like structure is materially efficient geometry to produce (or harvest, in the case of passive flight) fluid-dynamic force in a low Reynolds number flow regime. (2) Multiple nanoscale fibers are the result of the physical characteristics of a thin fiber, the drag of which is proportional to its length but not to its diameter. Because of this nonlinear characteristic of a fiber, spinning multiple thin ballooning fibers is, for spiders, a better way to produce drag forces than spinning a single thick spider silk, because spiders can maximize their drag on the ballooning fibers using the same amount of silk dope. (3) The mean thickness of fibers, 200 nm, is constrained by the mechanical strength of the ballooning fibers and the rarefaction effect of air molecules on a nanoscale fiber, because the slip condition on a fiber could predominate if the thickness of the fiber becomes thinner than 100 nm.
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Burdfield-Steel, Emily R., Jutta M. Schneider, Johanna Mappes, and Susanne Dobler. "Testing the effectiveness of pyrazine defences against spiders." Chemoecology 30, no. 4 (March 7, 2020): 139–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00049-020-00305-5.
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Abstract Insects live in a dangerous world and may fall prey to a wide variety of predators, encompassing multiple taxa. As a result, selection may favour defences that are effective against multiple predator types, or target-specific defences that can reduce predation risk from particular groups of predators. Given the variation in sensory systems and hunting tactics, in particular between vertebrate and invertebrate predators, it is not always clear whether defences, such as chemical defences, that are effective against one group will be so against another. Despite this, the majority of research to date has focused on the role of a single predator species when considering the evolution of defended prey. Here we test the effectiveness of the chemical defences of the wood tiger moth, a species previously shown to have defensive chemicals targeted towards ants, against a common invertebrate predator: spiders. We presented both live moths and artificial prey containing their defensive fluids to female Trichonephila senegalensis and recorded their reactions. We found that neither of the moth’s two defensive fluids were able to repel the spiders, and confirmed that methoxypyrazines, a major component of the defences of both the wood tiger moth and many insect species, are ineffective against web-building spiders. Our results highlight the variability between predator taxa in their susceptibility to chemical defences, which can in part explain the vast variation in these chemicals seen in insects, and the existence of multiple defences in a single species.
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TAVARES, MARCELO TEIXEIRA, GERMAN ANTONIO VILLANUEVA-BONILLA, and JOBER FERNANDO SOBCZAK. "Conura baturitei sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): a hyperparasitoid of spiders through Zatypota riverai (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)." Zootaxa 4624, no. 2 (June 28, 2019): 267–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4624.2.9.
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Conura, the largest genus of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), is mostly distributed in the New World where 295 of the 301 described species occur. Chalcididae are in some cases hyperparasitoids of insects. In this study, we report the unusual association of the hyperparasitoid Conura baturitei sp. nov. with spider species of the genus Theridion Walckenaer (Theridiidae) through Zatypota riverai Gauld (Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae, Polysphincta genus-group), a primary ectoparasitoid of spiders. The new species is described and illustrated, and the host-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid interaction is discussed.
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Horton, David R., Eugene R. Miliczky, Vincent P. Jones, Callie C. Baker, and Thomas R. Unruh. "Diversity and phenology of the generalist predator community in apple orchards of Central Washington State (Insecta, Araneae)." Canadian Entomologist 144, no. 5 (August 9, 2012): 691–710. http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/tce.2012.72.
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AbstractPredatory insects and spiders were collected from apple orchards in two geographic regions of Central Washington State, United States of America to assess seasonal phenology and diversity of the generalist predator community. Arthropods were collected from orchard canopy every 3–7 days over two growing seasons (March–October) at seven organically managed and two insecticide-free orchards. Over 35 000 specimens and 80 species of spiders (Araneae), ladybeetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), lacewings (Neuroptera), and predatory true bugs (Hemiptera) were collected. Composition of insect and spider communities differed between the two geographic regions. Indicator species analysis identified several species that had a significant association with one of the two regions. Counts of the most common taxa were examined in detail on a calendar date basis to determine seasonal phenology of adult and immature stages. We observed substantial differences among taxa in number of generations, seasonal timing of first appearance in orchards, overwintering stages, and seasonal occurrence of the adult and immature life stages in orchards. Understanding seasonal phenology of natural enemies in orchards is a core requirement in integrated pest management programs for apple pests, and results of this study provide this information for the generalist predator community of orchards in the Pacific Northwest.
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Jin, Hyoung-Joon, and David L. Kaplan. "Mechanism of silk processing in insects and spiders." Nature 424, no. 6952 (August 2003): 1057–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature01809.
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Shepardson, Daniel P. "Bugs, butterflies, and spiders: Children's understandings about insects." International Journal of Science Education 24, no. 6 (June 2002): 627–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500690110074765.
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Woolf, A. B., N. E. M. Page-Weir, R. J. Oliver, A. J. Hawthorne, A. Chhagan, D. E. Hartnett, R. Feng, et al. "High pressure air for pest removal from kiwifruit." New Zealand Plant Protection 70 (July 26, 2017): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.30843/nzpp.2017.70.72.
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Insect removal from kiwifruit is important for improving access to overseas markets. Insect removal from kiwifruit by physical treatments such as high pressure washing is hugely successful but kiwifruit packing is carried out “dry”. Therefore, one potential option is the use of ‘air-knife’ blowers to remove insects. A system with air-knives from the sides and top that was mounted over a single-lane Compac grader was able to remove over 90% of artificially inoculated diapausing two-spotted mites (≈ 85/fruit). The difference in pest levels between untreated ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit fruit naturally infested with a wide range of insects (n=2194) and fruit exposed to air-knives (n=2204) was: mealybug 100%, beetle/weevils 91—100%, oribatid mites 93%, tuckerellid mites 98%, unidentified mites 88% , booklice 86%, thrips 74— 100%, Collembola 63%, cockroaches 100%, spiders 43%, scale insects 40%. Air-knives had no noticeable effect on ‘Hayward’ or ‘Zesy002’ (Gold3) fruit quality. These results indicate that air-knives using a high air-flow/low-pressure system can effectively remove high rates of “mobile” insects and first-instar scale insects, and can probably be implemented logistically and economically from a commercial perspective.
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Hegazy, Fatma El-Zahraa, Eman Hendawy, I. Mesbah, and Fathea Salem. "The Insect Pests, the Associated Predatory Insects and Prevailing Spiders in Rice Fields." Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology 12, no. 5 (May 1, 2021): 365–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.21608/jppp.2021.171281.
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Teulon, D. A. J., and I. A. W. Scott. "The use of suction traps for detection of unwanted invasive insects and other invertebrates." New Zealand Plant Protection 59 (August 1, 2006): 125–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.30843/nzpp.2006.59.4446.
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This paper reviews the potential for using suction traps especially existing networks to detect unwanted exotic insects and invertebrates invading new locations Suction traps are thought to sample small fragile slow and weak flying insects better than other methods Suction traps over 6 m high have been shown to catch invertebrates from at least 13 different insect orders and 87 different insect families as well as Acari (mites) and Araneae (spiders) Suction traps have provided the first location records for a number of aphid species and new records of invasive species Several issues require attention if suction traps are to become established tools for detection of unwanted invasive organisms These include minimising the cost of traps developing rapid identification methods establishing the optimum location of the traps and investigating the ability of suction traps to catch species in time for remedial action
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Mitrus, Joanna, Cezary Mitrus, and Magdalena Sikora. "Changes in nestling diet composition of the red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva in relation to chick age and parental sex." Animal Biology 60, no. 3 (2010): 319–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157075610x516529.
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AbstractThe composition of nestling diet in the red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva was studied by videotaping 14 broods, in natural stands of the Białowieża Forest, in relation to nestling age and the sex of the parents. On average 51.5% of the prey items were flying insects, 25.9 % spiders and 22.8% caterpillars. Amongst flying insects, Diptera dominated (84.8%), then Lepidoptera (7.6%) and Orthoptera (6.6%). The composition of the diet changed significantly in relation to the age of the nestlings. The proportion of caterpillars decreased with nestling age from 36% to 13%, whilst that of flying insects increased from 42% to 64% and spiders achieved their highest representation in the middle stages of nestling development. Within the group of flying insects, composition of prey types also changed significantly: the proportion of Orthoptera increased from 7% to 11%, and Lepidoptera decreased from 9% to 3%, while the proportion of Diptera was almost unchanged. No differences were found in general in the proportions of prey types provided by males and females, although they differed in respect to nestling age. In the first five days of nestling life, males provided more caterpillars and fewer flying insects than when nestlings were older.
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Morse, Douglass H. "Cues Associated With Patch-Choice Decisions By Foraging Crab Spiders Misumena Vatia." Behaviour 107, no. 3-4 (1988): 297–312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853988x00395.
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I tested the roles of insect prey presence, abundance, and distance in the selection of hunting sites by crab spiders Misumena vatia (Thomisidae) on milkweed inflorescences. Since the inflorescences on a single plant differ in numbers of prey attracted, one can also assess the effect of relative prey abundance on patch choice as overall prey abundance in an area changes. About three-fourths of the spiders chose the inflorescence attracting the most insects on a plant at densities from half to twice the normal prey, and in tests with additional prey presented at close range. Thus they appear to respond to relative prey densities in patch choice, and their accuracy of choice remains constant over a wide range of prey abundance. However, spiders without prey, and ones that had just fed, selected sites randomly. Individuals from all the other experiments left inflorescences, especially high-quality ones, more often as overall prey density increased. This result closely fits a risk-sensitivity model that predicts mobility in choice of hunting site if average prey availability exceeds that required to produce a clutch of eggs.
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Tong, Chao, Gabriella M. Najm, Noa Pinter-Wollman, Jonathan N. Pruitt, and Timothy A. Linksvayer. "Comparative Genomics Identifies Putative Signatures of Sociality in Spiders." Genome Biology and Evolution 12, no. 3 (January 21, 2020): 122–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaa007.
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Abstract Comparative genomics has begun to elucidate the genomic basis of social life in insects, but insight into the genomic basis of spider sociality has lagged behind. To begin, to characterize genomic signatures associated with the evolution of social life in spiders, we performed one of the first spider comparative genomics studies including five solitary species and two social species, representing two independent origins of sociality in the genus Stegodyphus. We found that the two social spider species had a large expansion of gene families associated with transport and metabolic processes and an elevated genome-wide rate of molecular evolution compared with the five solitary spider species. Genes that were rapidly evolving in the two social species relative to the five solitary species were enriched for transport, behavior, and immune functions, whereas genes that were rapidly evolving in the solitary species were enriched for energy metabolism processes. Most rapidly evolving genes in the social species Stegodyphus dumicola were broadly expressed across four tissues and enriched for transport functions, but 12 rapidly evolving genes showed brain-specific expression and were enriched for social behavioral processes. Altogether, our study identifies putative genomic signatures and potential candidate genes associated with spider sociality. These results indicate that future spider comparative genomic studies, including broader sampling and additional independent origins of sociality, can further clarify the genomic causes and consequences of social life.
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Borges, P. A. V., and V. K. Brown. "Arthropod community structure in pastures of an island archipelago (Azores): looking for local–regional species richness patterns at fine-scales." Bulletin of Entomological Research 94, no. 2 (April 2004): 111–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/ber2004289.
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AbstractThe arthropod species richness of pastures in three Azorean islands was used to examine the relationship between local and regional species richness over two years. Two groups of arthropods, spiders and sucking insects, representing two functionally different but common groups of pasture invertebrates were investigated. The local–regional species richness relationship was assessed over relatively fine scales: quadrats (= local scale) and within pastures (= regional scale). Mean plot species richness was used as a measure of local species richness (= α diversity) and regional species richness was estimated at the pasture level (= γ diversity) with the ‘first-order-Jackknife’ estimator. Three related issues were addressed: (i) the role of estimated regional species richness and variables operating at the local scale (vegetation structure and diversity) in determining local species richness; (ii) quantification of the relative contributions of α and β diversity to regional diversity using additive partitioning; and (iii) the occurrence of consistent patterns in different years by analysing independently between-year data. Species assemblages of spiders were saturated at the local scale (similar local species richness and increasing β-diversity in richer regions) and were more dependent on vegetational structure than regional species richness. Sucking insect herbivores, by contrast, exhibited a linear relationship between local and regional species richness, consistent with the proportional sampling model. The patterns were consistent between years. These results imply that for spiders local processes are important, with assemblages in a particular patch being constrained by habitat structure. In contrast, for sucking insects, local processes may be insignificant in structuring communities.
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Marshall, N., and C. Diebel. "'Deep-sea spiders' that walk through the water." Journal of Experimental Biology 198, no. 6 (June 1, 1995): 1371–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.198.6.1371.
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Deep-sea isopods of the family Munnopsidae exhibit four modes of swimming: forward striding, slow backward pedalling, fast backward pedalling and escape, the first two of which use asymmetric phases of leg movement. Instead of moving the left and right limbs (pereopods, P2­P7) of a segment in-phase (e.g. RP2LP2, RP3LP3, RP4LP4), as do most aquatic insects, leg movement is more like that of fast-walking insects, where closest synchrony occurs between diagonal limbs (e.g. RP2LP3, RP3LP4, RP4LP2). This is similar to the alternating tripod gait used by many animals on land to prevent them from toppling over. It therefore seems likely that this group of isopods learned to walk before they could swim.