Multisensory Cues and Multimodal Communication in Spiders: Insights from Video/Audio Playback Studies

Abstract

Spiders perceive the world using multiple sensory modes, including vibration, vision, and chemical senses, for prey detection and communication. These sensory modes are used in many communication contexts, either individually or in multimodal signaling. Selection for effective signaler-receiver communication and species discrimination is especially strong for these predatory and potentially cannibalistic arthropods, resulting in the evolution of considerable diversity in signaling behaviors. In this paper, we review sensory mechanisms involved in spider signaling and present an overview of recent work done on wolf spiders (Lycosidae) that use multimodal communication (simultaneous visual and vibratory signals) in sexual signals during courtship. The relative importance of visual and vibratory signaling modes, and the use of multiple modes varies among closely related species in the genus Schizocosa, providing a model system for investigating multisensory guidance of complex behavior. Here we examine previous and current research on responses of female spiders to components of male courtship behavior, using several experimental techniques including cue isolation (single sensory modes), video/audio digitization and playback, and cue-conflict (mixed conspecific/heterospecific components) to tease apart elements of multimodal signaling.

Assessment of Potential Predation Costs of Male Decoration and Courtship Display in Wolf Spiders Using Video Digitization and Playback

“…Females of this species exhibit receptivity with equal frequency to isolated visual and vibratory courtship signals from conspecific males (Scheffer et al, 1996). There is some evidence from studies with live males and video playback that female spiders prefer males with larger tufts when presented with only visual courtship cues (McClintock and Uetz, 1996;Uetz, 2000;Uetz and Roberts, 2002).…”

“…The wolf spider genus Schizocosa (Araneae: Lycosidae) is an excellent model system for evaluating the influence of sexual selection and predation on sexual signaling (see reviews by Uetz, 2000;Uetz and Roberts, 2002). Members of this genus are wandering, non-web-building wolf spiders that inhabit most of the deciduous forest region of eastern North America Redner, 1978, 1990).…”

Experimental confirmation that avian plumage traits function as multiple status signals in winter contests

“…This may be due to the assumption that status signals should be directly linked to fighting ability and that a single badge should be sufficient to convey this information. In contrast, studies of traits selected through mate choice have focused on multiple signals for the past two decades (Møller and Pomiankowski, 1993;Marchetti, 1998;Andersson et al, 2002;Uetz and Roberts, 2002;Candolin, 2003;Doucet and Montgomerie, 2003;Chaine and Lyon, 2008a;Dunn et al, 2008). In this context, receivers are thought to benefit from attending to a number of different traits that reflect different aspects of individual quality ("multiple messages") in a mate, or if multiple cues aid in more accurate assessment of quality ("backup cues"; Marchetti, 1998;Rowe, 1999;Candolin, 2003).…”

Enigmatic ornamentation eases male reliance on courtship performance for mating success

“…While early Schizocosa studies focused on the relationship between ornamentation and female choice (McClintock and Uetz, 1996;Scheffer et al, 1996;Hebets and Uetz, 2000;Uetz and Roberts, 2002;Hebets et al, 2006;Uetz and Norton, 2007), more recent studies have highlighted the importance of these active displays, as courtship rate has been shown to influence male mating success across multiple species of wolf spider (Kotiaho et al, 1998a;Parri et al, 2002;Rypstra et al, 2003;Delaney et al, 2007;Gibson and Uetz, 2008;Lomborg and Toft, 2009;Shamble et al, 2009;Rundus et al, 2010Rundus et al, , 2011. Female Schizocosa are considered mostly monandrous (Norton & Uetz 2005), and previous work has documented strong female mate choice across species (e.g.…”