Does the African social spider Stegodyphus dumicola control the sex of individual offspring?

By scoring the chromosome number of developing embryos, we show that the sex ratio bias of the African social spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock is the result of an overproduction of female embryos. Only 17% of 585 embryos sexed from 14 egg sacs were male, a significant departure from a 1:1 sex ratio. We also explored the possibility of direct control of the sex of individual offspring in this species by examining the variance in the number of males per sac and the spatial distribution of male and female embryos within the sacs. We postulated that a variance in the number of males per sac lower than binomial (i.e., underdispersed or precise sex ratios) or a non-random distribution of male embryos within the sacs would suggest direct control of the sex of individual offspring. We found that the variance in the number of males per sac was indistinguishable from binomial and significantly larger than expected under exact ratios. Likewise, the spatial distribution of male embryos within three sacs examined was no more clustered than expected by chance. The sex ratio biasing mechanism in this species, therefore, apparently only allows control of the mean sex ratio but not of its variance. We present randomization and Monte Carlo methods that can be applied to test for departures from a random spatial arrangement of male and female embryos in an egg mass and for departures from binomial or exact ratios when not all members of a clutch have been sexed. Received: 21 October 1998 / Received in revised form: 23 March 1999 / Accepted: 26 April 1999     

Precopulatory sexual cannibalism in fishing spiders (Dolomedes triton): a role for behavioral syndromes

Precopulatory sexual cannibalism (predation of a potential mate prior to copulation) offers an extreme example of intersexual conflict, a current focus in behavioral ecology. The aggressive-spillover hypothesis, posits that precopulatory sexual cannibalism may be a nonadaptive by-product of a general syndrome of voracity (aggression towards prey) that is expressed in multiple behavioral contexts. In this view, selection favoring high levels of voracity throughout ontogeny spills over to cause sexual cannibalism in adult females even when it is not necessarily beneficial. Using the North American fishing spider, Dolomedes triton, we present the first in depth test of this hypothesis. We found support for three aspects of the spillover hypothesis. First, voracity towards hetero-specific prey results in high feeding rates, large adult size, and increased fecundity. Second, juvenile and adult voracity are positively correlated (i.e., voracity is a consistent trait over ontogeny). Third, voracity towards hetero-specific prey is indeed positively correlated with precopulatory sexual cannibalism. Assays of antipredator behavior further revealed positive correlations between boldness towards predators, voracity and precopulatory sexual cannibalism. Overall, our results support the notion that precopulatory sexual cannibalism in D. triton is part of a behavioral syndrome spanning at least three major contexts: foraging, predator avoidance, and mating.     

Species diversity of spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) in agroecosystems of Moscow oblast and Krasnodar krai

A census of spiders has been taken in Moscow oblast and Krasnodar krai (the Kuban Plain) in fields under corn, vetch-oat mixture, and winter wheat (in the central and peripheral zones separately), as well as on their margins and in adjoinint areas of other biotopes. Spiders were collected using entomological sweeping and pitfall traps. On the whole, 286 species of 20 families and 146 genera have been found (205 species in Moscow oblast and 139 species in Krasnodar krai). The level of species diversity does not change significantly; a noticeable decrease in this parameter is observed only in the central zones of fields. In Moscow oblast, species diversity reaches a peak at field margins; in Krasnodar krai, no regular differences in this parameter between the forest strip, field margin, and the peripheral zone of a crop field has been revealed. Species diversity usually decreases toward the field center. However, changes in species diversity at a distance of more than 100 m from the margins are insignificant.     

茶树上游猎型蜘蛛功能团对景观低碳管理模式的反应

目前温室效应加剧、生物多样性减少以及农田环境污染加重等问题已成为关注的焦点。由于蜘蛛是环境变化的指示标志和农业生中的重要捕食性天敌。通过选择茶树上游猎型蜘蛛为研究对象,调查分析景观低碳管理模式茶园（JG）与习惯管理模式茶园（XG）对茶树上游猎型蜘蛛组成、结构以及群落数量特征的影响。结果表明：JG茶园茶树上游猎型蜘蛛种类较多,有8个科,18个种;XG茶园有6个科,13个种;优势种和丰盛种中,JG茶园个体数为375头、195头,比XG茶园分别提高1.16、0.33倍。JG与XG两类茶园的蜘蛛种群数量特征在年龄结构、性别比例方面存在显著差异（P＜0.001）;JG茶园雌蛛个体数为157头、雄蛛个体数为320头,是XG茶园的1.12和1.32倍;JG茶园成蛛与幼蛛个体数是XG茶园的1.25和0.87倍,成蛛比幼蛛高出46.32%,而XG茶园成蛛比幼蛛高出21.82%;JG茶园蜘蛛种群数量特征发生动态显著高于XG茶园（P＜0.05）。JG茶园蜘蛛多样性指数和丰富度指数比XG茶园增加16.46%和12.14%。主成分分析表明,第一、二主成分累计贡献率达50.47%, JG茶园位置明显接近光盔蛛科（Liocranidae）、圆颚蛛科（Corinnidae）、跳蛛科（Salticidae）和管巢蛛科（Clubionidae）等蜘蛛群落数量分布较多的方向偏移,而XG茶园则向盗蛛科（Pisauridae）和猫蛛科（Oxyopidae）等蜘蛛群落数量分布较少方向靠近。由此可知,茶园实行低碳管理,实行复合种植,有利于减少CO2气体排放,保护茶树上游猎型蜘蛛种类多样性,提高对害虫的自然控制能力,为茶园固碳增汇,茶叶产值提高打下了基础。     

Arachnids (Arachnidae) in a Spring Wheat Agrocenosis in Southern Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Effect of Treatment with Decis,a Pyrethroid Insecticide,on Their Populations

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Comparative Analysis of Foraging Behavior in Aquatic and Semiaquatic Spiders of the Genera Argyroneta,Dolomedes, Pirata,and Pardosa

A group of sympatric aquatic and semiaquatic spiders inhabiting Western Siberia (Argyroneta, Dolomedes, Pirata, and Pardosa) has been studied with respect to specific ethological features. The results provide a basis for the conclusion that these spiders differ in a number of behavioral adaptations related to prey catching and the use of common biotopic space. Experiments with the predator–prey system have shown that spiders have different effects on the abundance of bloodsucking mosquito larvae and on the age and genetic structure (at the chromosomal level) of their populations. The functional role of spiders in communities is discussed.     

Implications of dispersal and life history strategies for the persistence of Linyphiid spider populations

Linyphiid spiders have evolved the ability to disperse long distances by a process known as ballooning. It has been hypothesized that ballooning may allow populations to persist in the highly disturbed agricultural areas that the spiders prefer. In this study, I develop a stochastic population model to explore how the propensity for this type of long distance dispersal influences long term population persistence in a heterogeneous landscape where catastrophic mortality events are common. Analysis of this model indicates that although some dispersal does indeed decrease the probability of extinction of the population, the frequency of dispersal is only important in certain extremes. Instead, both the mean population birth and death rates, and the landscape composition, are much more important in determining the probability of extinction than the dispersal process. Thus, in order to develop effective conservation strategies for these spiders, better understanding of life history processes should be prioritized over an understanding of dispersal strategies.