Download or read book Morphological and Behavioral Variation Among and Between Populations of Wolf Spider Hogna Carolinensis in the Southwestern United States written by Matthew K. Nelson and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 796 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Morphometric and Genetic Variation Among Populations of the Southern Short tailed Shrew Blarina Carolinensis Located Along the Coastal Plain of Virginia written by Devon Kersten and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The distribution of short-tailed shrews, Blarina carolinensis and B. brevicauda, demonstrates contiguous allopatry in peninsular situations in the Coastal Plain of Virginia, and in other areas. The distribution of these two species is unusual in that they do not exhibit syntopy except within a narrow corridor along the borders of their ranges. Interestingly, along the Coastal Plain of Virginia, B. carolinensis is generally found only at the distal ends of the peninsular areas, existing as local populations that appear to be isolated from each other and from the primary population that exists in south-central Virginia. It is thought that the disjunct distribution of B. carolinensis populations results from the unique physiography of Chesapeake Bay, namely peninsular water barriers, and that the intervening distribution of its congener, B. brevicuada, should promote morphometric and population differentiation due to isolation. Whether populations of B. carolinensis along the Coastal Plain of Virginia are truly isolated (and possibly morphologically and/or genetically dissimilar to the continuous southeastern Unites States distribution) is unknown. I examined cranial morphometrics and molecular genetic characters (mitochondrial DNA control region and exon-primed intron-crossing nuclear DNA, EPIC) from peninsular populations of B. carolinensis and compared them to shrews of the mainland population to address this question. The sources of specimens were shrews ensnared in discarded bottles along roadsides, museum skins, and specimens frozen in alcohol. Principle coordinate analyses did not indicate a correlation between cranial morphology and genetic structuring of the populations. MANOVA analyses correlate distinct geographic regions with variation of four cranial measurements related to length. A 492 base pair region of the mitochondrial control region was obtained for many specimens and found to be polymorphic resulting in 27 unique haplotypes evenly partitioned across populations reflecting low levels of differentiation. Nuclear DNA markers were not found to exhibit repeatable amplification and therefore were not useful. Genetic variance detected among populations ranged from [phi]PT = 0.001 to 0.045. The effective number of migrants (Nem), as estimated from the standard relationship with [phi]PT values, indicated panmixia. Both sets of observations indicated that physiography and B. brevicauda are not as severe factors limiting migration among the Coastal Plain populations of B. carolinensis as was thought.

Download or read book Variation in Life history Traits and Behaviour Among Wolf Spider Hygrolycosa Rubrofasciata Populations written by Laura Vertainen and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yhteenveto: Populaatioiden väliset erot rummuttavan hämähäkin (Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata) kasvussa ja käyttäytymisessä.

Download or read book The Eyes of the Wolf Spider Schizocosa Ocreata written by Nancy Myers Heiss and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book All about North American Wolf Spiders written by John Bankston and published by . This book was released on 2025 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The wolf spider lives up to its name. It doesn't catch bugs in its web. It hunts them down. It's very fast. It also sees very well at night. That makes it a very skilled killer. Learn all about this amazing arachnid in All About North American Wolf Spiders"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Mechanisms Affecting Predation Success in Wolf Spiders written by Matthew M. Steffenson and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predator-prey interactions play a role in community structure through a variety of different mechanisms including direct consumption, density-mediated indirect effects, and trait-mediated indirect effects. Understanding factors that can influence the efficacy of direct consumption on prey populations can help us to identify the strength of the impact predators can have on lower trophic levels. My dissertation research focuses on how mechanisms like sexual dimorphism, impaired body condition, and starvation stress alter how effective an intermediate predator (i.e. a predator that occupies an intermediate position in the food web) can be in direct consumption of prey. Using wolf spiders as my model, and a combination of laboratory experimental foraging trials and field experiment approaches, I assessed the effectiveness of spiders as predators. My main questions were how sexual dimorphism and limb autotomy affect predatory behaviors in wolf spiders. I also examined the effect of starvation on fitness and immunological trade-offs using biochemical immune assays This research reveals that female wolf spiders are more effective at direct consumption of prey than males due to a combination of body size, trophic morphology, and behavioral dimorphisms. Limb autotomy had no significant effect on foraging success in wolf spiders, although there was a trend of leg autotomy having a negative impact on prey capture ability. Lastly, starvation of spiders leads to an energetic trade-off where individuals appear to sacrifice physiological condition for investment into immune defense. Findings from this dissertation can be utilized to help further our understanding of how predator-prey interactions shape community structure.

Download or read book Effects of Intraguild Predation on the Wolf Spider Hogna Carolinensis by the Scorpion Centruroides Vittatus Spatial Relationships of Intraguild Predators and Microhabitat Selection written by Oscar Noe Ramos and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Quantitative Field Study of Predatory Behavior in the Wolf Spider Pardosa Ramulosa written by Matthew Howard Greenstone and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Life History and Ecology of the Wolf Spider Lycosa Carolinensis Walckenaer in a Desert Community written by Roland Scott Shook and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Patterns of Molecular Population Genetic and Phenotypic Variation Associated with Urbanization in the Western Black Widow Spider written by Lindsay Sara Miles and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In urban population genetic studies, the "urban fragmentation model" predicts that urbanization acts as a barrier that isolates native populations, and can lead to reduced gene flow and increased genetic drift between populations. The "urban facilitation model" predicts urban areas act as corridors to increase dispersal among urban areas, and can lead to higher genetic diversity within and lower differentiation between urban areas. In a review of the current literature, we found that there is no consistent signature of reduced within-population genetic diversity or increased between-population genetic differentiation. Analyses that investigate the urban barriers to gene flow also found no consistent results. Thus, the response to urbanization may be species and city specific. We used social network genetic analyses, which can identify connections that both fragment and facilitate gene flow, to investigate the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on connectivity in a model urban pest of significant medical-relevance, the Western black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus. In comparison to non-urban locales, urban locales have higher within-population genetic diversity, lower between-population genetic differentiation, and higher overall estimates of genetic connectivity. We found that not all cities are highly connected, with specific urban hubs driving gene flow among historically isolated non-urban locales. We compared and contrasted our previous broad-scale patterns of urban gene flow with a new fine-scale locale sampling from within three Southwestern U.S. cities. Urban areas have significantly different patterns of connectivity to the overall network that generate contrasting patterns of within- and between-city genetic diversity. There is significant heterogeneity among the fine-scale city samples, such that certain urban hubs are impacting the network of urban and non-urban locales on the whole. We examined differences in gene expression between three paired urban and non-urban populations from the cephalothorax (metabolism), ovary (fertility), and silk glands (web architecture). There is significant differential expression in each tissue type observed between urban and non-urban locales, among both urban and among non-urban locales, and specific to geographic locations independent of urban or non-urban habitat. These results imply that not all cities are created equal with respect to demographic and gene flow patterns, but also with phenotypic patterns.

Download or read book Trait Evolution in Spiders written by Jennifer Marie Bosco and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organisms have evolved complex behavioral, morphological and physiological traits in response to various selection pressures. These phenotypes are usually composed of many traits that may or may not be genetically or phenotypically correlated. Correlations of both types can lead to evolutionary trade-offs, which may be broken over long evolutionary time periods through such mechanisms as the decoupling of genetic linkages and the development of phenotypic plasticity. Behavioral traits associated with temperament provide an excellent system in which to evaluate underlying mechanisms of the establishment and decoupling of genetic linkages. Other traits, such as the type of web that a spider builds, may not be so labile since there is greater complexity associated with, for example, web spinning organs and prey specialization. I initiated my investigation into these questions by examining the extent to which behavioral traits and their correlations change over ontogeny and how this varies between males and females of the grass spider Agelenopsis lisa (Chapter 1). I then considered how these behavioral traits change over macro-evolutionary time by using a dated phylogeny of 19 spider species of the RT3 spider clade (Chapter 2). Finally, I considered web evolution across all of spiders (Araneae) to examine how web type influences spider diversification (Chapter 3). My results indicate that behavioral traits are highly repeatable at certain life-stages, such as the penultimate stage in males that corresponds with increased prey consumption in preparation for searching for mates as an adult. While there are very few significant behavioral trait correlations that would suggest the presence of a behavioral syndrome, the weak correlations are consistent across ontogeny. Behavioral trait correlations are not conserved across macro-evolutionary time, suggesting that temperament traits are likely free to evolve independently from other behavioral traits. Several of the traits examined are evolving towards phenotypic optima related to the habitat they reside in. However, some traits are particularly slow to evolve, which may result in maladaptive scenarios where species get "stuck" when the environment changes quickly. Finally, I found that weblessness is associated with higher diversification rates in spiders and reduced rates of diversification in orb weaving spiders.

Download or read book The Role of Among individual Behavior in Invasive native Interactions of Urban Venomous Spiders written by Cameron Michael Jones and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid pace of anthropogenic change has drastically shaped the ecology of many species, for instance through urbanization and species introductions. Individual behavioral traits (aka animal personalities or behavioral types; BT) are recognized as an important mediator of various ecological processes and can influence invasive-native species interactions. I examined the invasive brown widow, Latrodectus geometricus, and the native western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus, two web-building spiders that infest urban habitats and have overlapped in habitat for two decades. I first test how individual differences in web and behavioral phenotype contribute to native web defense against conspecifics and invasive brown widows (Chapter 1). I find that native black widow spiders are rarely usurped by invasive spiders, yet needlessly signal to invasive spiders. However, web phenotype influences contests among native spiders. I then assess how phenotypic variation in webs is associated with web-building strategies across and unique to each species (Chapter 2). Individuals among both species adopt web-building strategies unique to their BT, perhaps optimizing a predation-starvation tradeoff. Yet, species adopt different strategies when having to repeatedly build webs. Mesocosm and web-choice experiments revealed that intraspecific competition may be stronger among native black widow spiders, particularly with black widows rarely invading brown widow webs and spiders having lower fitness when paired with aggressive black widows (Chapter 3). Finally, field observations across several urban sites where species overlap reveal that brown widows appear to avoid black widow spiders by vertically stratifying when black widows are present (Chapter 4). This pattern is correlated with aggression in brown widows such that aggressive invasive spiders vertically stratify. Collectively, these results suggest that invasive brown widow spiders are weak direct competitors against native black widows. However, brown widows avoid competition with native black widows, which may be mediated by aggressive behavioral types. These results highlight the influence of among-individual behavior in driving interactions both within and between two species. Critically, they provide further evidence that behavioral variation among invasive species may facilitate invasion into urban habitats, even at the expense of the native urban adapters.

Download or read book Biology of Spiders written by Rainer Foelix and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2011-05-05 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the only books to treat the whole spider, from its behavior and physiology to its neurobiology and reproductive characteristics, Biology of Spiders is considered a classic in spider literature. First published in German in 1979, the book is now in its third edition, and has established itself as the supreme authority on these fascinating creatures. Containing five hundred new references, this book incorporates the latest research while dispelling many oft-heard myths and misconceptions that surround spiders. Of special interest are chapters on the structure and function of spider webs and silk, as well as those on spider venom. A new subchapter on tarantulas will appeal especially to tarantula keepers and breeders. The highly accessible text is supplemented by exceptional, high-quality photographs, many of them originals, and detailed diagrams. It will be of interest to arachnologists, entomologists, and zoologists, as well as to academics, students of biology, and the general reader curious about spiders.

Download or read book Spider Brain Morphology And Behavior written by Skye M. Long and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spiders are ideal model animals for experimental and comparative studies of behavior, learning and perception. They display many complex behaviors, such as the multimodal mating dances of lycosid spiders, the stealthy hunting strategies of the jumping spider Portia sp., to the labile sociality of theridiids. Spiders also demonstrate a wide range of cognitive capabilities. Spiders perceive their environment using multiple sensory modalities including: chemosensory organs; lyriform and slit-sense organs and specialized hairs that detect vibration and air movement; and up to eight eyes that vary in function, some able to detect polarization and a broad spectrum of light, including ultraviolet. While much is known about the behavior and external morphology of spiders, little is known about the spider's nervous system. Early in the 20th century researchers, such as Saint-Remy, Hanström and Legendre, began the process of cataloging the variety of form and function within the arachnid brain. Unfortunately, these studies were limited by techniques and sample quality and much of the information is difficult to access and place into a modern context. In modern research the focus on comparative studies of spider brain morphology disappeared and was replaced with more focused research on a single species, the wandering spider Cupiennius salei. While much has been learned from these studies, C. salei represents only a small fraction of the spectrum of behaviors and sensory system morphologies that may be reflected in brain morphology. Current advances in techniques and collecting methods, combined with the framework of knowledge gained from C. salei allow for meaningful comparative work on spider neurobiology. The four chapters of my dissertation explore spider behavior, learning and neuromorphology and present two novel protocols for their study. In Chapter 1, I present a behavioral study in which I explore the effect of firefly flashing on the predatory behavior of spiders. In Chapter 2, I present a novel protocol for aversive learning trials in spiders. In Chapter 3, I present a novel method for producing whole-head DiI stained spider cephalothorax sections. In Chapter 4, I describe the variation in the visual processing pathways in spiders representing 19 different families.

Download or read book Invasion in the Light of Evolution written by Monica Mowery and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As invasive species spread around the world, understanding the factors underlying invasion success has become increasingly important. Using an evolutionary perspective to examine biological invasions, I investigated how organisms are able to rapidly adapt to new environments, and how selection on phenotypic traits changed over time during sequential stages of the invasion process. In this thesis, I used lab and field studies to assess the importance of behaviour, physiology, morphology, and plasticity to widow spider invasion success. Using this variation in invasion history, I explored patterns across organismal, population, and species-level scales. In Chapter Two, investigated the effects of metabolic rate on behaviour in Australian redback spiders, Latrodectus hasselti, and links between behavioural variation and fitness components measured in the field and laboratory. My work showed that metabolic rate influences fitness via correlation with multiple behaviours, but that metabolic rate alone does not drive all individual behavioural differences. In Chapter Three, I tested preadaptation and local adaptation in a native and an invasive population of L. hasselti to investigate tolerance of novel environmental conditions experienced in the invasive range. In this chapter, I showed that invasive populations may be able to thrive in novel environmental conditions because of increased behavioural plasticity, tolerance of temperature fluctuations, and higher fecundity. In Chapter Four, I compared populations of L. hasselti that are native, established invasive, and newly invasive, and assessed the relative importance of phenotypic traits likely to predispose a species to invasion success. I found that invasive populations of Australian redback spiders diverged from the native Australian population in behaviour, life history, and morphology. In Chapter Five, I tested hypotheses of behaviourally mediated spatial sorting and changes in tradeoffs during invasive spread using two independent invasions of brown widow spiders. I found similar patterns of increased dispersal propensity in two independent invasions of brown widow populations in Israel and the United States. These common patterns suggest that dispersal ability under positive selection in invasive populations, particularly the recently established populations. I infer that behavioural plasticity and dispersal propensity, together with a preference for human-disturbed environments, may underlie invasion and establishment in invasive widow species. In sum, my thesis has expanded our knowledge of how evolutionary processes affect the spread of invasive species through local adaptation, selective filters in the invasion process, and spatial sorting.

Download or read book Ecophysiology of Spiders written by Wolfgang Nentwig and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently another book on insect physiology was published. It was restricted to a few focal points as are many of these new insect physiology books, but there was considerable depth in its specialized point of view. We were dis cussing the structure of this book and of insect physiology books, in general, when Prof. Remmert asked me " . . . and what about books on spider physio logy?" Silence. Then I started to explain "oh yes, there is a congress pro ceedings volume on this topic and there is a group with excellent publica tions on another topic . . . ", but I felt that this answer was weak. One can no longer buy the proceedings volume in a bookshop and to read a series of publications on a given topic one must search in a library for a dozen journals. Why is there not a single book on spider physiology comparable with the many books on insect physiology? Are spiders a scientific ivory tower, far from public interest and commercial importance? I do not think so, although spiders are one of the many "forgotten" animal groups which always grew in the shadow of the insects. There are research groups working on spider physiology, there are fascinating phenomena in this animal group and there are plenty of exciting results. Spiders may have been always underresearch ed, but research is progressing. In the last few years, new books have been published, e. g.