温度对蜘蛛抗饥能力的影响

本文对隐蛛科的白斑隐蛛、狼蛛科的星豹蛛,栅蛛科的栓栅蛛,球蛛科的八斑鞘蛛,皿蛛科的花腹盖蛛,园蛛科的角类肥蛛,肖蛸科的鳞纹肖蛸,蟹蛛科的三突花蛛,管巢蛛科的粽管巢蛛,猫蛛科的斜纹猫蛛,跳蛛科的纵条蝇狮等11科11种蜘蛛的385头成蛛,296头2龄幼蛛和126头亚成蛛共计807头蜘蛛分别在20 ℃、25 ℃、30 ℃和35 ℃ 4种恒温条件下作了的抗饥能力研究.结果显示:(1)实验蜘蛛的2龄幼蛛、亚成蛛和成蛛抗饥能力的大小与温度的高低呈负相关,即随着温度的升高,抗饥能力减小.(2)由于蜘蛛种类不同,其抗饥能力的大小也表现出很大的差异.无论是2龄幼蛛还是成蛛,均以花腹盖蛛和鳞纹肖蛸抗饥能力最差;2龄幼蛛抗饥能力最强的是角类肥蛛;成蛛抗饥能力最强的是栓栅蛛、白斑隐蛛和角类肥蛛.(3)同一种蜘蛛,由于发育阶段不同其抗饥能力也表现出很大差异,随着蜘蛛发育阶段增长,其抗饥能力加强.在本实验条件下所有蜘蛛都是以2龄幼蛛抗饥能力较差,亚成蛛次之,成蛛的抗饥能力最强.     

北京幽灵蛛的附肢自残

附肢自残是北京幽灵蛛（Pholcus beijingensis Zhu ＆ Song,1999）的习性之一。野外调查表明,约20％的个体至少失去1只步足;个体自残的发生率在2—7月间有显著的差异,同时第一对步足自残的比例最高（43．47％）;个体失去步足的比例随着年龄的增加而增加;左侧和右侧步足失去的比率接近（1．03：1）。野外调查发现,正在交配的个体与单独生活的个体相比,步足的完整性上并无显著差别。实验室研究表明,北京幽灵蛛附肢自残后没有再生现象。通过对自残幼体与非自残幼体的3龄与4龄龄期研究,发现各处理组间并无显著的差别。步足自残被认为是北京幽灵蛛在极端情况下的“避险策略”（Bet-hedging strategy）[动物学报54（6）：998-1004,2008]。     

蛛网和蛛体挥发物诱导的阴暗拟隙蛛（蜘蛛目：漏斗蛛科）种内选择偏好行为

化学通讯是蜘蛛类群普遍使用的种内和种间信息交流方式,极可能是蜘蛛进化过程中最初用来进行个体之间信息交流的途径。本研究利用双向选择系统,测试了阴暗拟隙蛛(Pireneitega luctuosa)对同种其他个体的蛛网和蛛体挥发物的选择行为,采用卡方检验的统计学方法、利用SPSS 19.0和Origin Pro 8等软件对所测蜘蛛的选择数据进行了分析。结果显示:①阴暗拟隙蛛雄蛛和雌蛛对来自同种异性的蛛网(P 0.001)和蛛体挥发物(P 0.05)均具有显著的趋向性,雌、雄蛛在异性蛛网或蛛体挥发物所在的选择盒表现更长时间的停留、探索、织网等行为;②雄蛛和雌蛛对幼蛛蛛体释放出来的挥发物均表现出显著的回避行为(P 0.05),倾向于远离具有幼蛛挥发物的选择盒;③幼蛛对同种幼蛛和雄蛛的蛛网(P 0.001)以及同种幼蛛的蛛体挥发物(P 0.05)均具有选择偏好性,说明幼蛛倾向于与同种个体接近。我们的研究表明,阴暗拟隙蛛雄蛛、雌蛛及幼蛛的蛛网和蛛体挥发物能诱导种内其他个体的趋向或回避行为,阴暗拟隙蛛幼蛛对同种幼蛛的选择偏好性可能是该种个体在同一地域聚集分布的主要原因。我们的研究从行为学角度证实,阴暗拟隙蛛的蛛网及体表均携带有能够标识其性别和龄期的相关信息化学物质。     

蚊幼对狼蛛的营养作用研究

研究蚊子幼虫（子孓）以拟水狼蛛（Ｐｉｒａｔａｓｕｂｐｉｒａｔｉｃｕｓ）的营养,繁殖作用,结果表明狼蛛对蚊幼的捕食符合ＨｏｌｌｉｎｇⅡ型功能反应,喂以蚊幼和不喂蚊幼处理狼蛛的体重增长率和生殖有极显著差异,在相同蚊幼密度下,狼蛛初始体重越小,增长率越大,经计算狼蛛每增重１ｍｇ,需消耗１０．５８ｍｇ蚊幼,这基本符合生态系统营养级能量流动的１／１０法则,狼蛛体重大小对褐飞虱的捕食量有明显差异,体重大的个体     

味觉毛在不同蜘蛛类群中的形态、数量和分布

化学通讯是蜘蛛最基础和最普遍的种内和种间通讯方式之一,蜘蛛体表的味觉毛能够接触性的或者近距离地感知环境中的化学物质,但味觉毛的相关研究仅在少数几种蜘蛛中有过报道。我们通过扫描电镜对分别对幽灵蛛、弱蛛、泰莱蛛、幽灵蛛、蟹蛛和球蛛共5科32种蜘蛛味觉毛的形态、数量和分布进行了观察,结果显示：蜘蛛味觉毛一般呈“S”形或弧形;毛根部与体表形成较大角度,末端开口。一般分布在步足的跗节和后跗节,一些种类在步足胫节亦有味觉毛分布。所观察的蜘蛛中绝在部分种类在触肢上未发现味觉毛,仅有两种蟹蛛 (Thomisus labefactus Lysiteles inflatus) 和一种球蛛 (Phycosoma mustelinum) 在触肢上有味觉毛。味觉毛的数量在不同蜘蛛种类中有较大差异,从十几根到上百根不等。蜘蛛味觉毛的形态、数量和分布等特征除了与遗传相关外,亦有可能与其生境和生活方式等有关。     

寡居种悦目金蛛若蛛群居机制初步研究

对寡居种悦目金蛛Argiope amoena若蛛群居生活对其结网的影响、温度和种群大小对若蛛存活率的影响、若蛛对限制性空间的利用及其扩散方式进行了观察和研究.结果表明,若蛛从卵袋出蛰后不经历群居扩散即具备结网能力,可结完整网,也具备在扩散前不进食水存活的能力;在变温条件下若蛛存活率要远远高于室温条件下的存活率,而在室温条件下若蛛开始死亡和半数死亡的时间比其聚居期长得多;若蛛主要通过群体空中扩散的方式进行扩散,可以减小能耗与敌害的威胁;不同种群大小的若蛛在限制性空间的分布均从第5d左右开始发生较大变化的,这与在空间不受限的条件下若蛛在第5d开始扩散的结果是一致的.据此我们推断:个体扩散代价最小化(包括御敌和能耗)和维持种群较高的生存率可能是寡居种悦目金蛛若蛛群居生活的主要原因.     

机敏异漏斗蛛的生活史及各虫态的形态特征

机敏异漏斗蛛Allagelena difficilis是我国常见蜘蛛,在自然生态系统的害虫控制中起重要作用。野外调查结合室内饲养观察,弄清机敏异漏斗蛛的生活史及各龄虫态特征。机敏异漏斗蛛一年1代,蜕6次皮,以成蛛、卵和1龄幼蛛越冬,翌年4月上旬在蛛网上可以见到活动的2龄幼蛛,8月中旬发育为成蛛,由卵到成蛛平均历时265 d。卵椭球形,黄色;1-3龄幼蛛体光亮,枣红或红褐色;3龄幼蛛腹部背面隐约可见四对"八字形"灰白斑纹;4-6龄幼蛛体表光泽不明显,"八字形"灰白斑纹明显;6龄雄蛛触肢开始膨大而透明,雄性成蛛触肢膨大且色深。各龄虫态步足足式均为:ⅣⅠⅡⅢ。     

蜘蛛的繁殖

蜘蛛为雌雄异体,雌蛛必须经过交配授精后才能产受精卵,只有受精卵才能孵化为幼蛛。有些种类的雌蛛虽不经交配亦可产卵,但不能孵化。求偶蜘蛛在性成熟后即要寻找异性交配产卵繁殖后代。现已查明,在昆虫中是以释放性激素来招引同种异性个体进行交配,而蜘蛛关于这一点目前还不清楚。蜘蛛在交配的过程中多数雄性表现主动。但是,由于蜘蛛的种类不同,雄蛛接近雌蛛的方式也不一样。如温室希蛛(Archearanea tepidariorum)的雄蛛到雌蛛网的旁边,用前对步足或触肢弹动网丝,以试探雌蛛是     

棕色田鼠洞群内社会组织

每月选取农田样方,用洞道内置夹及挖捕法对棕色田鼠洞群内的群体结构进行调查发现,棕色田鼠在不同的季节,洞群内个体组成不同。在4月和10月,同洞群内成年雄性和雌性的数量较多,往往有两个以上的雌性个体参与繁殖,而且亚成体和幼体的数量也较多;而6月至9月,棕色田鼠多呈雌雄一一配对,有些洞群内也有幼体和亚成体,雌雄共巢,而呈现单配制特征。所以其社会组织呈现群居家庭、双亲家庭和单亲家庭3种类型。4月和10月群居家庭最多（60%,61.53%）,6月和9月双亲家庭较多（80%,75%）,双亲家庭所占比例和密度呈负相关,而群居家庭所占比例和密度呈正相关。在不同的季节洞口系数不同,洞口系数和密度呈正相关。     

多物种共存系统中3种蜘蛛对褐飞虱的控制作用

选择稻田生态系统中天敌蜘蛛优势种食虫沟瘤蛛（Oedothorox insecticeps)、拟水狼蛛（Pirata subpiraticus)、粽管巢蛛（Clubiona japonicola)和水稻主要害虫飞虱（Nilaparvata lugenis)组成多物种共存系统,运用二次通用旋转组合设计统计方法探讨多种蜘蛛对1种稻虫的控制作用,分析天敌之间以及天敌与害虫之间的相互作用关系,得出了天敌对害虫的捕食量模型2个。对模型进行主次分析表明,害虫自身密度的大小对天敌的捕食量影响较大。天敌中对捕食量作用最大的是粽管巢蛛,其次是拟水狼蛛,食虫沟瘤蛛的作用稍小。分析天敌间的交互作用表明,天敌个体大、活动能力强、生态位窄及其重叠值高、捕食量大,它们的种内种间干扰程度也大,特别是粽管巢蛛的种内干扰、拟水狼蛛和粽管巢蛛的种间干扰作用十分明显。最后讨论了天敌蜘蛛能有效控制害虫的最大密度,以及在该害虫密度下各种天敌密度的最佳组合。     

Stage-Specific Behavioral Responses of Ageneotettix deorum (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in the Presence of Lycosid Spider Predators

Grasshoppers must gather food while avoiding size-selective predation from other arthropods, especially spiders, potentially leading to a trade-off between foraging and defensive behaviors. This trade-off becomes less intense as prey grow larger and are less susceptible to arthropod predation. Activity budgets were constructed for three nymphal (third- to fifth- instar) and adult life cycle stages of Ageneotettix deorum, a common rangeland grasshopper, for three conditions of predation risk by lycosid spiders (spider absence, spider presence, and presence of a nonlethal, chelicerae-modified spider). In third and fourth instars, exposure to predators resulted in reduced feeding activity, increased time spent in antipredator and defensive behaviors, and reduced general activity compared to individuals not exposed to spiders. No significant shifts in behaviors were observed for fifth-instar nymphs and adult A. deorum in response to spider presence. Activity levels in functional spiders and chelicerae-modified spiders were statistically indistinguishable.     

Previous foraging success influences web building in the spider Stegodyphus lineatus (Eresidae)

Stegodyphus lineatus (Eresidae) is a desert spider that buildsan aerial capture web on bushes in the Negev desert in southernIsrael. Web building for spiders is costly in energy, time,and risk of predation. Spiders should trade-off these costswith the benefits in terms of prey capture. We tested the hypothesisthat the previous foraging success of the spider influencesthe effort invested in foraging. Specifically, we asked whetheran increase in food intake causes spiders to reduce web renewalactivity and web size. Alternatively, time constraints on foragingand development, resulting from a short growing season, couldinduce spiders to continue foraging even when supplemented withprey. The cost of web building was measured as time and massloss. To build an average size web (about 150 cm²), we calculatedthat a spider requires 6 h and that spiders lose 3%-7% of their weight.In field experiments, spiders responded differently to food supplementationin 2 different years. In 1994, they improved their condition comparedto individuals whose webs were removed to reduce foraging opportunitiesand compared to control spiders. In 1995, spiders tested earlier inthe season than the previous year did not improve their conditionin response to prey supplementation. Nonetheless, in both years, food-supplementedspiders built significantly smaller webs than food-deprived andcontrol spiders. This result was confirmed in a laboratory experiment whereprey intake was controlled. We conclude that for S. lineatus immediateforaging risks outweigh the potential time constraints on foraging.     

Age-related sequential web building in the colonial spider Metepeira incrassata (Araneidae): an adaptive spacing strategy

Colonial orb-weaving spiders provide insight into the proximate mechanisms by which social animals space themselves within a group. We examined mechanisms for the temporal patterns of web building that determine individual positions in Metepeira incrassata (Araneidae) colonies. The spiders display a characteristic age-related sequence of daily web building, with larger spiders completing their webs significantly earlier than smaller ones. We used data on behavioural interactions, web building, prey capture and predator attacks to evaluate four hypotheses. (1) Larger spiders are better competitors and pre-empt optimal spatial positions. (2) Smaller spiders reduce competition with larger individuals by building webs later. (3) Prey captured by different size classes is available at different times. (4) Differential predation risk determines web-building times. Large individuals dominated behavioural interactions. Disturbances by larger spiders during web construction significantly delayed the completion of smaller individuals' webs and precipitated movements to new web sites. One prediction of the first hypothesis, that spatial needs translate into earlier building, was confirmed by significantly earlier web building by mature females with egg sacs (which are unable to move their egg sacs) compared with same-sized females without eggs (which can change locations freely). Experiments to determine whether the presence of large spiders inhibited the web building of smaller individuals were equivocal. Prey availability and risk of predation are not factors affecting web-building patterns. Sequential web building appears to be a result of both larger spiders competing to pre-empt space from one another and smaller individuals attempting to reduce conflict during web construction. Sequential web building is a proximate mechanism that influences spacing among colonial orb-weaving spiders and helps shape the typical hierarchical size distribution of spiders within the colony. Similar spacing mechanisms may be seen in colonial birds and marine invertebrates. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Foraging behavior of the communal spider,Philoponella republicana (Araneae: Uloboridae)

The communal orb-weaving spider, Philoponella republicana,was observed in the subtropical moist forest of Southeast Peru. These spiders live in colonies of conspecifics whose individual orbs are connected by silk. The wrapping of a prey prior to feeding is a large component of the prey capture process because P. republicanahas no venom with which to kill an insect. Wrapping time was the only aspect of prey capture that was strongly correlated with the size of the insect captured. Occasionally we observed several individuals working together to wrap a prey item. These joint efforts were more frequent on prey larger than the capturing spider. Although group captures accounted for only 5.5% of captures, they represented 14.7% of the biomass obtained. A comparison of the relationship between wrapping time and prey size for solitary and group efforts suggested that, by working together, the spiders reduced their total handling time. In most cases only one spider fed on the captured prey.     

Kin recognition and cannibalism in a subsocial spider

Evolution of cooperation and group living in spiders from subsocial family groups may be constrained by their cannibalistic nature. A tendency to avoid cannibalizing kin may facilitate tolerance among spiders and implies the ability to identify relatives. We investigated whether the subsocial spider Stegodyphus lineatus discriminates kin by recording cannibalism among juveniles in experiments during which amount of food and size difference among spiders in groups were varied. We hypothesized that family groups should be less cannibalistic than groups of mixed‐parental origin. Further, we tested whether food‐stress would influence cannibalism rates differently in kin and nonkin groups and the effect of relatedness on cannibalism within groups of spiders of variable size compared with those of homogenous size. In groups of six spiders, more spiders were cannibalized in nonsib groups than in sib groups under low food conditions. A tendency for nonkin biased cannibalism in starved spider pairs supported that kin recognition in S. lineatus is expressed when food is limited. Size variance of individuals within well‐fed groups of siblings and unrelated spiders had no influence on cannibalism rates. Apparently, both hunger and high density are important promoters of cannibalism. In addition to inclusive fitness benefits, we suggest that an ability to avoid cannibalizing kin will favour the evolution of cooperation and group living in phylogenetically pre‐adapted solitary species.     

Predation by cosmopolitan spiders upon the medically significant pest species Loxosceles reclusa (Araneae: Sicariidae): limited possibilities for biological control

Interspecific predation of three cosmopolitan house spiders, Achearanea tepidariorum (Kock 1841) (Theridiidae), Steotoda triangulosa (Walckenaer 1802) (Theridiidae), and Pholcus phalangioides (Doleschall 1859) (Pholcidae), and the medically significant brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa (Sicariidae) were examined to evaluate transitive predatory relationships and to explore the potential use of cosmopolitan spiders as effective biological control agents on L. reclusa. Fifty houses from northeastern Kansas were visually inspected from May to December 2002 for cosmopolitan spiders and L. reclusa. In 25 houses, insect monitoring traps were used to sample spider diversity and abundance. The remaining 25 houses were monitored to examine intraguild predation and spider behavior. If cosmopolitan spiders have the ability to regulate or decrease L. reclusa populations, houses with large cosmopolitan spider populations are expected to have significantly fewer L. reclusa than houses without cosmopolitan spiders. Predation and/or evidence of predation by all three cosmopolitan spiders on L. reclusa was detected in 68% of houses. Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed overall positive relationships between population densities of cosmopolitan spiders and L. reclusa. When evaluated independently, the presence of both A. tepidariorum and S. triangulosa showed negative, yet nonsignificant, relationships with L. reclusa densities, whereas P. phalangioides showed a positive nonsignificant relationship. Although statistical tests showed a decrease in L. reclusa population densities with increased population densities of two cosmopolitan species, alluding to a potential beneficial interaction for biological control, observations of spider behavior, web positioning (niche partitioning), and predation showed little possibility of biological control capabilities.     

The global relationship between climate,net primary production and the diet of spiders

Aim We compiled data on prey utilization of spiders at a global scale to better understand the relationship between current climate or net primary production (NPP) and diet breadth, evenness and composition in spiders. We test whether the productivity and the diversity–climatic‐stability (DCS) hypotheses focusing on diversity patterns may also explain global patterns in prey utilization by web‐building and cursorial spiders. Location A global dataset of 95 data points from semi‐natural and natural terrestrial habitats spanning 41.3° S to 56.1° N. Methods We collected data on spider prey (29 groups, mostly order‐level invertebrate taxa) through extensive literature research to identify the relationship between climatic conditions and NPP and spider diets based on 66 studies of prey composition in 82 spider species. Results The number of prey groups in spider diets was positively related to NPP, after accounting for differences in sampling effort in the original studies. In general, diet breadth was significantly higher for spider species in tropical environments. Prey individuals in spider diets were more evenly distributed among different prey groups in warmer environments with lower fluctuations in precipitation. Collembola and other spiders were more common prey for spiders with a cursorial hunting mode. Myriapoda and Collembola were more common prey in cooler climates with more stable precipitation, whereas Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Psocoptera and Coleoptera showed the opposite pattern. Main conclusions The positive relationship between diet breadth and NPP and the negative relationship between prey evenness and seasonality in precipitation support the productivity and the DCS hypotheses, respectively. This effect on global patterns of invertebrate predator–prey interactions suggests that trophic interactions between spiders and their prey are sensitive to climatic conditions. Climatic conditions may not only affect spider community composition, but also considerably alter the functional role of these abundant invertebrate predators in terrestrial ecosystems.     

Body size and tree species composition determine variation in prey consumption in a forest‐inhabiting generalist predator

Trophic interactions may strongly depend on body size and environmental variation, but this prediction has been seldom tested in nature. Many spiders are generalist predators that use webs to intercept flying prey. The size and mesh of orb webs increases with spider size, allowing a more efficient predation on larger prey. We studied to this extent the orb‐weaving spider Araneus diadematus inhabiting forest fragments differing in edge distance, tree diversity, and tree species. These environmental variables are known to correlate with insect composition, richness, and abundance. We anticipated these forest characteristics to be a principle driver of prey consumption. We additionally hypothesized them to impact spider size at maturity and expect shifts toward larger prey size distributions in larger individuals independently from the environmental context. We quantified spider diet by means of metabarcoding of nearly 1,000 A. diadematus from a total of 53 forest plots. This approach allowed a massive screening of consumption dynamics in nature, though at the cost of identifying the exact prey identity, as well as their abundance and putative intraspecific variation. Our study confirmed A. diadematus as a generalist predator, with more than 300 prey ZOTUs detected in total. At the individual level, we found large spiders to consume fewer different species, but adding larger species to their diet. Tree species composition affected both prey species richness and size in the spider''s diet, although tree diversity per se had no influence on the consumed prey. Edges had an indirect effect on the spider diet as spiders closer to the forest edge were larger and therefore consumed larger prey. We conclude that both intraspecific size variation and tree species composition shape the consumed prey of this generalist predator.     

Negative Correlation between Ant and Spider Abundances in the Canopy of a Bornean Tropical Rain Forest

In tropical rain forests, high canopy trees have diverse and abundant populations of ants and spiders. However, accessing high trees and their fauna remains difficult; thus, how ants and spiders interact in the canopy remains unclear. To better understand the interspecific interactions between these two dominant arthropod groups, we investigated their spatial distributions at the canopy surface in a tropical rain forest in Borneo. We sampled ants and spiders six times between 2009 and 2011 by sweeping with an insect net at the tree crown surfaces of 190 emergent or tall (≥20 m in height) trees. We collected 438 ant individuals belonging to 94 species and 1850 spider individuals (1630 juveniles and 220 adults) belonging to 142 morphospecies (adults only) from a total of 976 samples. The fact that we collected four times more spider individuals than ant individuals suggests that fewer ants forage at the tree crown surface than previously thought. The number of spider individuals negatively correlated with the number of ant individuals and the number of ant species, indicating significant exclusivity between ant and spider spatial distributions at the tree crown surface. Niche‐overlap between the two taxa confirmed this observation. Although our data do not address the causes of these spatial distributions, antagonistic interspecific interactions such as interference behaviors and intra‐guild predation are ecological mechanisms that give rise to exclusive spatial distributions.     

Bromeliads provide shelter against fire to mutualistic spiders in a fire‐prone landscape

1. A key challenge in the study of mutualistic interactions is understanding sources of variation that strengthen or weaken these interactions. In spider–plant mutualisms, spiders benefit plants by improving plant nutrition and protecting plants from herbivory. Although the benefits of plants to spider growth and survival are often claimed, they are rarely demonstrated. 2. In this study, empirical evidence is provided that bromeliads (Bromelia balansae, Bromeliaceae) are essential for the resilience of the mutualistic bromeliad‐living jumping spider populations (Psecas chapoda, Salticidae) after a fire event, sheltering spiders from the heat of the flames. 3. Spider populations were compared before and after a natural fire event and it was shown that spiders of different ages survived the fire. The survival of such individuals allowed the population of P. chapoda spiders to recover rapidly, returning to pre‐fire levels in 5 months. 4. Bromeliads reduced the susceptibility of P. chapoda spiders to burning, and this mutualistic relationship contributed to the resilience of the spider population after a fire event. It is suggested that frequent fires in fire‐prone landscapes may have strengthened this spider–plant relationship, contributing to the maintenance and evolution of this association.