바로가기메뉴

본문 바로가기 주메뉴 바로가기

logo

ISSN : 2287-8327

Article Contents

Prev Next
e-Submission

Vol.38 No.2
Citation Share

Individual physical variables involved in the stabilimentum decoration in the wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi

Journal of Ecology and Environment / Journal of Ecology and Environment, (P)2287-8327; (E)2288-1220
2015, v.38 no.2, pp.157-162
https://doi.org/10.5141/ecoenv.2015.017
(Division of Life Sciences, Incheon National University, Incheon 406-772, Republic of Korea)
(2015). Individual physical variables involved in the stabilimentum decoration in the wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 38(2), 157-162, https://doi.org/10.5141/ecoenv.2015.017
  • Downloaded
  • Viewed
PDF Download

Abstract

The physical factors of Argiope bruennichi (Araneae, Araneidae) that influence the stabilimentum decoration on the web, a conspicuous white silk structure reflecting much more ultraviolet light than other spider silks in the web, have been poorly understood. In this study, individual variables involved in decorating the webs with stabilimenta by A. bruennichi were examined. The results revealed that the physical condition of the female A. bruennichi affected the behaviors of the stabilimentum decoration on the web. Among the 82 female spiders building their webs, the 49 female spiders adding upper and lower stabilimenta on their web weighed less, and had a narrower cephalothorax and shorter abdomen than the 33 female spiders that did not use stabilimentum. The heavier females decorated their webs with stabilimentum of greater widths. There were also significant positive relationships between the stabilimentum area and the female spider’s cephalothorax width, and between the stabilimentum area and female spider’s abdomen length. Taken together, this study suggests that spiders allocate their resources in stabilimentum decoration as a functional response to the spider’s physical conditions, and also supports the “prey-attraction hypothesis,” which states that the use of stabilimentum in¬creases the foraging success by attracting more prey to the web.

keywords
Argiope bruennichi, individual variable, stabilimentum, wasp spider

Reference

1.

Blackledge TA, Wenzel JW. 2000. The evolution of cryptic spider silk: a behavioral test. Behav Ecol 11: 142-145.

2.

Bruce MJ. 2006. Silk decorations: controversy and consensus. J Zool 269: 89-97.

3.

Bruce MJ, Herberstein ME, Elgar MA. 2001. Signalling conflict between prey and predator attraction. J Evol Biol 14: 786-794.

4.

Bruce MJ, Heiling AM, Herberstein ME. 2005. Spider signals: are web decorations visible to birds and bees? Biol Lett 1: 299-302.

5.

Craig CL, Bernard GD. 1990. Insect attraction to ultravioletreflecting spider webs and web decorations. Ecology 71: 616-623.

6.

Eberhard WG. 1990. Function and phylogeny of spider webs. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 21: 341-372.

7.

Elgar MA, Allan RA, Evans TA. 1996. Foraging strategies in orb-spinning spiders: ambient light and silk decorations in Argiope aetherea Walckenaer (Araneae:Araneoidea). Aust J Ecol 21: 464-467.

8.

Foelix R. 2010. Biology of Spiders. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

9.

Gálvez D. 2009. Frame-web-choice experiments with stingless bees support the prey-attraction hypothesis for silk decorations in Argiope savignyi. J Arachnol 37: 249-253.

10.

Hauber ME. 1998. Web decorations and alternative foraging tactics of the spider Argiope appensa. Ethol Ecol Evol 10: 47-57.

11.

Herberstein ME. 2000. Foraging behaviour in orb-web spiders (Araneidae): do web decorations increase prey capture success in Argiope keyserlingi Karsch, 1878? Aust J Zool 48: 217-223.

12.

Herberstein ME, Abernethy KE, Backhouse K, Bradford H, de Crespigny FE, Luckock PR, Elgar MA. 1998. The effect of feeding history on prey capture behaviour in the orbweb spider Argiope keyserlingi Karsch (Araneae: Araneidae). Ethology 104: 565-571.

13.

Herberstein ME, Craig CL, Coddington JA, Elgar MA. 2000. The functional significance of silk decorations of orbweb spiders: a critical review of the empirical evidence. Biol Rev 75: 649-669.

14.

Higgins LE, Buskirk RE. 1992. A trap-building predator exhibits different tactics for different aspects of foraging behaviour. Anim Behav 44: 485-499.

15.

Kim KW, Kim K, Choe JC. 2012. Functional values of stabilimenta in a wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi: support for the prey-attraction hypothesis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 66: 1569-1576.

16.

Li D. 2005. Spiders that decorate their webs at higher frequency intercept more prey and grow faster. Proc Roy Soc B 272: 1753-1757.

17.

Mann HB, Whitney DR. 1947. On a test of whether one of two random variables is stochastically larger than the other. Ann Mathemat Statist 18: 50–60.

18.

Scopoli GA. 1772. Flora Carniolica: Exhibens Plantas Carnioliae Indigenas et Distributas in Classes, Genera, Species, Varietates, Ordine Linnaeano. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Impensis Ioannis Pavli Kravss, Vienna.

19.

Schoener TW, Spiller DA. 1992. Stabilimenta characteristics of the spider Argiope argentata on small islands: support of the predator‑defense hypothesis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 31: 309-318.

20.

Sherman PM. 1994. The orb-web: an energetic and behavioural estimator of a spider’s dynamic foraging and reproductive strategies. Anim Behav 48: 19-34.

21.

Simon E. 1895. Histoire naturelle des Araignées. Vol. 1. Roret, Paris.

22.

Théry M, Casas J. 2009. The multiple disguises of spiders: web colour and decorations, body colour and movement. Phil Trans R Soc B 364: 471-480.

23.

Tso IM. 1996. Stabilimentum of the garden spider Argiope trifasciata: a possible prey attractant. Anim Behav 52: 183-191.

24.

Tso IM. 1998. Isolated spider web stabilimentum attracts insects. Behaviour 135: 311-319.

25.

Walter A, Elgar MA, Bliss P, Moritz RFA. 2008. Wrap attack activates web-decorating behavior in Argiope spiders. Behav Ecol 19: 799-804.

26.

Watanabe T. 1999. The influence of energetic state on the form of stabilimentum built by Octonoba sybotides (Araneae: Uloboridae). Ethology 105: 719-725.

Journal of Ecology and Environment

e-Submission OA Policy