Body-colour variation in an orb-web spider and its effect on predation success

Nakata, Kensuke; Shigemiya, Yusuke

doi:10.1111/bij.12640

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The spiders were released in a fenced garden observation area (9 Â 2 m), located in Shimamoto, Osaka, where the females built their webs. Individual spiders were distinguished by their photographs (C. argenteoalba exhibit individual variation in silver and black marking patterns [14]) and web locations. Adult males were also collected and kept in vials.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female genital mutilation and monandry in an orb-web spider

Nakata¹

2016

Biol. Lett.

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Monandry, in which a female has only one mating partner during the reproductive period, is established when a female spontaneously refrains from re-mating, or when a partner male interferes with the attempts of a female to mate again. In the latter case, however, females often have countermeasures against males, which may explain why polyandry is ubiquitous. Here, I demonstrate that the genital appendage, or scape, of the female orb-web spider ( Cyclosa argenteoalba ) is injured after her first mating, possibly by her first male partner. This female genital mutilation (FGM) permanently precludes copulation, and females appear to have no countermeasures. FGM is considered to confer a strong advantage to males in sexual conflicts over the number of female matings, and it may widely occur in spiders.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female genital mutilation and monandry in an orb-web spider

Nakata¹

2016

Biol. Lett.

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“…Females were released into the observation area (9 m × 2 m) where they built their webs. Individual spiders were identified by variation in the abdominal markings [ 27 ] and the location of their webs. The observation area was not enclosed, but was surrounded by residential buildings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The timing of female genital mutilation and the role of contralateral palpal insertions in the spider Cyclosa argenteoalba

Nakata

2017

R. Soc. open sci.

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Some male spiders exhibit female genital mutilation behaviour (FGM) by removing the female genital appendage (scape) to control the mating frequency of females. Female spiders have two, i.e. right and left, genital openings connected with separate spermathecae into which males transfer sperm successively using one pedipalp (secondary genitalia) at a time. Thus, males must complete at least two palpal insertions to fill both spermathecae, before FGM. The present study examined whether (i) scape removal is only associated with the second palpal insertion (one-action hypothesis) or (ii) two contralateral palpal insertions facilitate FGM, with each insertion cutting the basal part of the scape halfway (two-actions hypothesis). Experiments in which females were replaced after a male had made the first insertion did not support the one-action hypothesis, because scapes remained intact after the newly introduced virgin females received their first palpal insertion, which was the second insertion by the males. In comparison, mating experiments using two half-eunuchs (i.e. one of the palps of each male had been manually removed, forcing them to fill female spermatheca on one side only) supported the two-actions hypothesis. FGM was more frequent in females that received two contralateral palpal insertions than in females that received ipsilateral insertions.

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“…The mechanisms that generate and maintain color polymorphism are still debated, but likely involve adaptation to local environmental conditions or frequency dependence (Oxford and Gillespie 1998 ). There is in fact contrasting evidence showing that color morphs sometimes achieve greater capture rates in distinct habitats (e.g., Tso et al 2002 ; Nakata and Shigemiya 2015 ; Rao et al 2015 ), while in other species variation in body color has no effect on foraging success (e.g., Gawryszewski and Motta 2012 ; Llandres et al 2011 ).…”

Section: Phenotypic Variation In Prey Attractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of prey-attraction strategies in spiders: the interplay between foraging and predator avoidance

et al. 2023

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Lures and other adaptations for prey attraction are particularly interesting from an evolutionary viewpoint because they are characterized by correlational selection, involve multicomponent signals, and likely reflect a compromise between maximizing conspicuousness to prey while avoiding drawing attention of enemies and predators. Therefore, investigating the evolution of lure and prey-attraction adaptations can help us understand a larger set of traits governing interactions among organisms. We review the literature focusing on spiders (Araneae), which is the most diverse animal group using prey attraction and show that the evolution of prey-attraction strategies must be driven by a trade-off between foraging and predator avoidance. This is because increasing detectability by potential prey often also results in increased detectability by predators higher in the food chain. Thus increasing prey attraction must come at a cost of increased risk of predation. Given this trade-off, we should expect lures and other prey-attraction traits to remain suboptimal despite a potential to reach an optimal level of attractiveness. We argue that the presence of this trade-off and the multivariate nature of prey-attraction traits are two important mechanisms that might maintain the diversity of prey-attraction strategies within and between species. Overall, we aim to stimulate research on this topic and progress in our general understanding of the diversity of predator and prey interactions.

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Body-colour variation in an orb-web spider and its effect on predation success

Cited by 12 publications

References 43 publications

Female genital mutilation and monandry in an orb-web spider

Female genital mutilation and monandry in an orb-web spider

The timing of female genital mutilation and the role of contralateral palpal insertions in the spider Cyclosa argenteoalba

The evolution of prey-attraction strategies in spiders: the interplay between foraging and predator avoidance

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