Effect of humidity on desiccation by living and dead wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Aspey, Wayne P.; Lent, Charles M.; Meeker, Miriam G.

doi:10.1007/bf01946203

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Although the smaller SA:V may explain females' higher survivorship and lower water loss rates, it doesn't explain why they were able to withstand greater loss of water before perishing. The average water-loss rates of S. ocreata males and females are similar to that of other wolf spiders (Davies and Edney 1952;Aspey et al 1972), although it is important to note that the methods in all of these studies vary. The wolf spiders in these studies are larger, but they are also all mesic species.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Dehydration resistance and tolerance in the brush-legged wolf spider (Schizocosaocreata): a comparison of survivorship, critical body water content, and water-loss rates between sexes

Herrmann

Roberts

2017

Can. J. Zool.

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Small-bodied terrestrial animals like spiders face challenges maintaining water reserves essential for homeostasis. They may experience dry microclimates and (or) seasonal variation in water availability, so dehydration is a common stressor that may help explain movement, foraging, and other behaviors. This study examines aspects of dehydration resistance and tolerance in the brush-legged wolf spider, Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz, 1844) (Araneae: Lycosidae), commonly found in the leaf litter of eastern deciduous forests of North America. Sexes differ in morphology, physiology, reproductive strategy, and life history, likely resulting in divergent abilities to resist and tolerate dehydration. We used humidity-controlled chambers to examine relative survivorship by sex under varying humidity regimes, water-loss rates, body water content, and critical water mass. Spiders survived significantly longer in higher humidity regimes (≥50% RH). Females had significantly better survivorship overall, lower body-loss rates, and lower critical mass, though males had greater percent body water content, indicating that females have greater dehydration resistance and tolerance than males. Although sex-based differences in survival time and water-loss rates are likely an effect of relative body mass, females should be more successful than males during periods of episodic drought and are likely selected to survive later in the season while caring for offspring.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Dehydration resistance and tolerance in the brush-legged wolf spider (Schizocosaocreata): a comparison of survivorship, critical body water content, and water-loss rates between sexes

Herrmann

Roberts

2017

Can. J. Zool.

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“…While studying the behavioral biology (Aspey, 1974(Aspey, , 1975(Aspey, , 1976a and environmental physiology (Aspey, Lent, and Meeker, 1972) of several wolf spider (lycosid) species, I found abundant numbers of these spiders in restricted areas at the forest-meadow interface. From a practical point of view, the ability to predict locations of large spider populations facilitated collection for laboratory studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Almquist (1973)concluded that habitat selection was fundamentally controlled by those microclimatic and vegetational conditions satisfying the spiders' temperature and humidity requirements. Thus, while lycosids exhibit certain physiological tolerances to extremes of environmental conditions (Aspey et al, 1972), they select their habitat, in part at least, on the basis of microclimate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Ecology of the “Edge Effect”in Schizocosa Crassipes (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Aspey

1976

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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“…Lycosid spiders are known to exhibit thermoregulatory behavior to increase their body temperatures above ambient conditions, particularly following a meal or while carrying an egg sac (e.g., N0rgaard 1951;Humphreys 1978), and they can actively regulate evaporative water loss (Aspey et al 1972). However, they are relatively vulnerable to desiccation (e.g., compared to web-building spiders; Foelix 1996), and water loss is accelerated at higher temperatures (Humphreys 1975).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Size, Sex, and Reproductive Condition on Thermal and Desiccation Stress in a Riparian Spider (Pirata Sedentarius, Araneae, Lycosidae)

DeVito

Formanowicz

2003

Journal of Arachnology

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Within a species, physiological tolerances and thermoregulatory behaviors may vary among ontogenetic stages or between sexes. Such different tolerances can strongly affect the ecology and life history of a species. In a laboratory study, we tested the hypothesis that Pirata sedentarius Montgomery 1904 is differentially susceptible to thermal/desiccation stress by size and sex. As predicted, male adults were more susceptible to thermal/desiccation stress than females. Unexpectedly, however, juvenile spiders survived longer under thermal/desiccation stress than adults. Furthermore, female adults without egg sacs displayed a trend toward higher thermal/desiccation tolerance than females carrying egg sacs. These results suggest that for P. sedentarius, microhabitat preferences and/or thermoregulatory behaviors may change over the course of development, and may vary between sexes and between females with and without egg sacs.

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Effect of humidity on desiccation by living and dead wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Dehydration resistance and tolerance in the brush-legged wolf spider (Schizocosaocreata): a comparison of survivorship, critical body water content, and water-loss rates between sexes

Dehydration resistance and tolerance in the brush-legged wolf spider (Schizocosaocreata): a comparison of survivorship, critical body water content, and water-loss rates between sexes

Behavioral Ecology of the “Edge Effect”in Schizocosa Crassipes (Araneae: Lycosidae)

The Effects of Size, Sex, and Reproductive Condition on Thermal and Desiccation Stress in a Riparian Spider (Pirata Sedentarius, Araneae, Lycosidae)

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