Web asymmetry in the tetragnathid orb spider<i>Metellina mengei</i>(Blackwell, 1869) is determined by web inclination and web size

Tew, Nicholas E.; Hesselberg, Thomas

doi:10.1636/joa-s-17-065.1

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…4; webs in lit conditions: mean = −0.13, SD = 0.16, n = 43; webs in unlit conditions: mean = −0.21, SD = 0.17, n = 43). Additionally, vertical web asymmetry did not appear to differ with changes in web catch area within the same model (effect of web area: t value = −1.44, p = 0.15), as was previously found for some spiders of the Family Tetragnathidae (Tew & Hesselberg, 2018).…”

Section: Web Structuresupporting

confidence: 80%

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Orb-weaving spiders are fewer but larger and catch more prey in lit bridge panels from a natural artificial light experiment

Gomes

2020

PeerJ

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Artificial light at night is rapidly changing the sensory world. While evidence is accumulating for how insects are affected, it is not clear how this impacts higher trophic levels that feed on insect communities. Spiders are important insect predators that have recently been shown to have increased abundance in urban areas, but have shown mixed responses to artificial light. On a single bridge with alternating artificially lit and unlit sections, I measured changes in the orb-weaving spider Larinioides sclopetarius (Araneidae) web abundance, web-building behavior, prey-capture, and body condition. In artificially lit conditions, spiders caught more prey with smaller webs, and had higher body conditions. However, there were fewer spiders with active webs in those lit areas. This suggests that either spiders were not taking advantage of an ecological insect trap, perhaps due to an increased risk of becoming prey themselves, or were satiated, and thus not as active within these habitats. The results from this natural experiment may have important consequences for both insects and spiders in urban areas under artificial lighting conditions.

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Section: Web Structuresupporting

confidence: 80%

“…All model residuals were checked with the function 'qqplot' or with the package 'DHARMa' (Hartig, 2019). Vertical web asymmetry can be affected by web size (Tew & Hesselberg, 2018), thus I used web area (size) along with light condition as predictors in the linear model to explain vertical web asymmetry. Similarly, , Marshall & Uetz, 1996).…”

Section: Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orb-weaving spiders are fewer but larger and catch more prey in lit bridge panels from a natural artificial light experiment

Gomes

2020

PeerJ

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“…There are, however, minor differences among the families (Foelix, 2011). Tetragnathid webs, in contrast to araneid webs, tend not to have any threads in the centre of their hubs and tend to be more horizontally inclined with the woodland species Metellina mengei, for example, having webs that varied in inclination with horizontal from 5 to 85° (Tew & Hesselberg, 2018). The differences are not immediately apparent from a casual glance, but webs of Meta menardi and M. bourneti differ from the typical orb web in that they have very few frame threads ( Figure 3B).…”

Section: The Orb Web: Behavioural Adaptation or Flexibility?mentioning

confidence: 98%

Do cave orb spiders show unique behavioural adaptations to subterranean life? A review of the evidence

Hesselberg

Simonsen

Juan

2019

Behav.

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Interest for subterranean biology has risen sharply in recent years due to the simplicity of the cave environment. However, most studies have focussed on morphology with few studies looking at behaviour. The cave orb spiders show some unique behavioural adaptations compared to other orb spiders, including rudimentary orb webs, off-web foraging and a complex life cycle with a surface phase. Here, we compare these behavioural adaptations in the European Meta menardi and Meta bourneti to similar behaviours in surface-dwelling orb spiders. We find that current data suggest (1) an extreme reduction in the number of frame threads, (2) evidence of capturing non-flying prey, but not necessarily evidence for off-web foraging and (3) dispersal through a surface-dwelling life stage, but with data lacking on the role of ballooning and their return to caves. We conclude that Meta spiders have potential as model organisms for studies on behavioural adaptations and flexibility.

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“…Similarly, it was found in spiders which usually build slanted webs, that the sticky spiral asymmetry increased with the angle of the web to the horizontal; i.e. more vertical webs had more asymmetric sticky spirals (Eberhard 1987;Gregorič et al 2013;Tew and Hesselberg 2018).…”

Section: General Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 61%

Spiders in space—orb-web-related behaviour in zero gravity

Zschokke

Countryman

Cushing

2020

Sci Nat

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Gravity is very important for many organisms, including web-building spiders. Probably the best approach to study the relevance of gravity on organisms is to bring them to the International Space Station. Here, we describe the results of such an experiment where two juvenile Trichonephila clavipes (L.) (Araneae, Nephilidae) spiders were observed over a 2-month period in zero gravity and two control spiders under otherwise identical conditions on Earth. During that time, the spiders and their webs were photographed every 5 min. Under natural conditions, Trichonephila spiders build asymmetric webs with the hub near the upper edge of the web, and they always orient themselves downwards when sitting on the hub whilst waiting for prey. As these asymmetries are considered to be linked to gravity, we expected the spiders experiencing no gravity to build symmetric webs and to show a random orientation when sitting on the hub. We found that most, but not all, webs built in zero gravity were indeed quite symmetric. Closer analysis revealed that webs built when the lights were on were more asymmetric (with the hub near the lights) than webs built when the lights were off. In addition, spiders showed a random orientation when the lights were off but faced away from the lights when they were on. We conclude that in the absence of gravity, the direction of light can serve as an orientation guide for spiders during web building and when waiting for prey on the hub.

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Web asymmetry in the tetragnathid orb spiderMetellina mengei(Blackwell, 1869) is determined by web inclination and web size

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Orb-weaving spiders are fewer but larger and catch more prey in lit bridge panels from a natural artificial light experiment

Orb-weaving spiders are fewer but larger and catch more prey in lit bridge panels from a natural artificial light experiment

Do cave orb spiders show unique behavioural adaptations to subterranean life? A review of the evidence

Spiders in space—orb-web-related behaviour in zero gravity

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