Biphasic activity of a jumping spider |
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Authors: | Toshinori Okuyama |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA;(2) Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sect. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan |
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Abstract: | Individual variation is a ubiquitous and important factor that affects ecological dynamics. This study examined individual
variation in the nest-use pattern of the jumping spider Phidippus audax. Although the jumping spider is a diurnal species, field observations in this study revealed that the majority of individuals
remained in their nests during the day. An accompanying examination of the hunger level of the spiders revealed that spiders
that remained in nests were more starved than those observed outside nests. If spiders actively forage when they are starved,
as has been suggested by previous studies, one would expect to see the opposite trend (i.e., spiders that remained in nests
are more satiated). Thus, the pattern observed in the field contradicts the known behavioral pattern of the spiders. An individual-based
model was used to investigate the behavioral mechanism of the spider and the discrepancy found in the observations. A basic
assumption of the model is that spiders possess distinct inactive and active phases (biphasic activity pattern), and transitions
between the two phases are regulated by the hunger level of the spider. Data from a laboratory experiment were used to examine
the assumptions of the model partially. The model was able to capture patterns observed in the data, suggesting that the pattern
of transitions in biphasic activity is an important trait of the foraging behavior of the jumping spider. |
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Keywords: | |
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