Antipredator benefits of group living in colonial web-building spiders: the ‘early warning’ effect

Uetz, George W.; Boyle, Jay; Hieber, Craig S.; Wilcox, R. Stimson

doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1918

Cited by 89 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…A number of attackabatement mechanisms are operative against a diversity of predators and parasitoids of the colonial web-building spider M. incrassata ("selfish herd" - Rayor andUetz 1990, 1993;"encounter/dilution" effects -Hieber and Uetz 1990;Uetz and Hieber 1997; "early warning" effects - Uetz et al 2002). Previous observations have suggested that predator species using specialized attack behaviors elicit specific individual defense behaviors (Rayor 1997;Uetz et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The spiders' lack of response to dead flies provides further evidence that sound alone, and not a visual or chemical cue, enables fly recognition. Spiders faced with wasp predators hovering at the retreat, which generate powerful and distinctly different wingbeat vibrations than either A. lindae or Musca domestica, (53-115 Hz;Uetz et al 2002) behave completely differently (Rayor 1997;Uetz et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In response, M. incrassata has evolved the ability to identify this fly predator using vibration cues, and use a specific set of behaviors against their attacks. These abilities are of particular importance for colonial Metepeira species, as they may have to distinguish between prey, parasites and predators from within the same taxa (Spiller and Schoener 1989;Hieber and Uetz 1990;Hieber 1994, 1997;Rayor andUetz 1990, 1993;Uetz et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the relationship is not close, for example, groups of prey evolving in response to groups of predators, their joint evolution can be defined as an "arms race" (Dawkins and Krebs 1979), "diffuse coevolution" (Gilbert and Raven 1975;Jantzen cialized, reciprocal and specific; any new defense mounted by the prey must be counteracted by the predator and vice versa through evolutionary time; and the predator and prey must be the primary evolutionary agents of one another across a geographic mosaic of populations (Janzen 1980;Endler 1991;Thompson 1994Thompson , 1999Soler and Soler 2000). Highly specialized or coevolved predator-specific defense behaviors are infrequently seen among species with multiple predators and especially those whose primary anti-predator defenses derive from grouping (Vulinec 1990;Endler 1991;Rayor 1997;Uetz et al 2002). In this study, we examine a unique predator-prey system -a colonial web-building spider and a predatory fly -and document complex ploy-counterploy interactions in predator defense by individual spiders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The spider and fly revisited: ploy-counterploy behavior in a unique predator-prey system

Hieber

Wilcox

Boyle

et al. 2002

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

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Earlier studies have shown that the sarcophagid fly Arachnidomyia lindae is the principal egg-sac predator of the colonial orb-weaving spider Metepeira incrassata, and that risk of egg-sac loss increases with group size. Observations of specialized behaviors for attack (flies) and defense (spiders) suggest that this predator-prey relationship may incorporate elements of ploy and counterploy behavior. Here we explore this relationship in detail and test hypotheses regarding efficacy of attack and defense behaviors. Egg-sac guarding by the spider includes defensive behaviors specific to this fly predator, which were observed during experimental "attacks" with tethered A. lindae, but not with similar presentations of non-predatory Musca domestica. Experimental studies also show that Metepeira incrassata recognizes this predatory fly by airborne cues (i.e., the signature frequency of wing-beats), and can distinguish between this predator and other flies (potential prey) on the basis of wing-beat frequency differences. Removal of female spiders results in a significantly higher probability of unguarded egg-sacs being parasitized, demonstrating the adaptive value of spider defensive behaviors. We also present evidence that A. lindae utilizes a behavioral ploy for circumventing spider guarding behavior (aggressive mimicry -producing vibrations of captured prey in the web), and that Metepeira incrassata, in turn, exhibits a counter-ploy behavior (signal thread cutting) to eliminate this potentially distracting vibratory information. While previous studies have shown that this colonial web-building spider uses a number of general attack-abatement mechanisms against a diversity of predators and parasitoids, results of this study suggest that selection pressures from a highly specialized predator may also result in evolution of predator-specific prey responses.Keywords Aggressive mimicry · Egg-sac predator · Ploy-counterploy behavior · Predator-prey interaction · Spiders 1980), or "escalation" (Vermeij 1987). For a predator-prey relationship to be considered "coevolved", however, it must be demonstrated that responses are speCommunicated by M. Elgar

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The spider and fly revisited: ploy-counterploy behavior in a unique predator-prey system

Hieber

Wilcox

Boyle

et al. 2002

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

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“…We also shelter small groups of the native social species and test the same predictions. Predation was suggested as a mechanism selecting for sociality in Stegodyphus dumicola (Henschel 1998) and colonial aggregations in Metepeira incrassata spiders (Uetz et al 2002), and in other social organisms (London & Jeanne 2003;Smith et al 2003;Mori & Saito 2005). We hypothesize that small subsocial groups may be excluded from areas where potential predators are abundant, because they are not able to repulse or evade predators as effectively as large social groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Gradients of precipitation and ant abundance may contribute to the altitudinal range limit of subsocial spiders: insights from a transplant experiment

Purcell

Avilés

2008

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Species range boundaries often form along environmental gradients that dictate the success of the phenotypes present in each habitat. Sociality may allow colonization of environments where related species with a solitary lifestyle cannot persist. Social spiders in the genus Anelosimus appear restricted to low-and mid-elevation moist environments in the tropics, while subsocial spiders, common at higher elevations and latitudes, appear to be absent from the lowland tropical rainforest. Here, we seek factors that may simultaneously prevent subsocial Anelosimus species from colonizing the lowland rainforest while favouring species with large social groups in this habitat. To this end, we transplanted small groups of a subsocial species, which contain the offspring of a single female, from cloud forest habitat in the centre of its natural range to lower montane rainforest on the range margin and to lowland rainforest outside of the species range. Groups transplanted at the range margin and below their range limit were less likely to disperse and experienced increased mortality. This was correlated with greater rainfall intensity and ant abundance. We show that protection from rainfall enhances the performance of small groups of spiders in the lowland rainforest, and suggest that predation or disturbance by ants may influence the geographical range limits of this species.

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Chemicals Weaken Shoal Preference in the Rare MinnowGobiocypris rarus

Qiu

Wang

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Fish behavioral responses are sensitive to chemicals in the water. We tested rare minnow tested for their shoal preference, and the shoal (school) factors including nutritional status, body size, and shoal (school) size that can make their preference most stable were measured. Then shoal preference was measured again while fish and shoal were subjected to a concentration gradient of chemicals (cadmium ion [Cd 2+ ], tricaine methanesulfonate [MS222], and p-chloroaniline). The results showed that single rare minnow preferred shoals over blank control tanks. In addition, this preference was most stable when the shoal was well fed and contained 20 individuals 2 cm long. Although there was no significant response after exposure to p-chloroaniline, the time spent from entering the tank to start moving decreased greatly at concentrations of Cd 2+ >3 mg/L and MS222 >11 mg/L. The time the test fish spent close to the shoal significantly decreased at Cd 2+ >3 mg/L, MS222 >11 mg/L, and p-chloroaniline >10 mg/L, and the frequency of boundary line crossing increased at the same concentrations. The behavioral parameters changed by 20, 5, and 8 min once the lowest-observed-effect concentrations of Cd 2+ , MS222, and p-chloroaniline, respectively, were added. Our study provides useful information on rare minnow shoal preference that may be used for a biological early warning system.

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Antipredator benefits of group living in colonial web-building spiders: the ‘early warning’ effect

Cited by 89 publications

References 40 publications

The spider and fly revisited: ploy-counterploy behavior in a unique predator-prey system

The spider and fly revisited: ploy-counterploy behavior in a unique predator-prey system

Gradients of precipitation and ant abundance may contribute to the altitudinal range limit of subsocial spiders: insights from a transplant experiment

Chemicals Weaken Shoal Preference in the Rare MinnowGobiocypris rarus

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