几种蜘蛛的采集方法

近半年来,我们利用课余时间对济南近郊的一些蜘蛛进行了采集。在实践中,我们摸索了一点采集蜘蛛标本的方法。现介绍如下: 1.圆蛛的采集园蛛隶属结网型蜘蛛,常在庭院、树木之间及屋角、檐下等处张车轮状大网。有的只在夜间蹲在网心,白天躲在网附近的“隐蔽所”里,有的则昼夜蹲在网上。昼伏夜出的圆蛛,在网心和“隐蔽所”之间有一根或一束“电极线”。根据这种丝,可找到它们。也可用小草轻轻拨动它的网,使它们从“隐蔽所”跑出来。     

蜘蛛用丝搭建“碉堡”

科学家们早就知道,蜘蛛织出的错综复杂的蛛网既可以捕获猎物,又能够吸引心仪的伴侣。然而有一些蛛网似乎还能保护蜘蛛免遭灭顶之灾。狼蛛能够在它们生活的洞穴上方搭建精致的“碉堡”———它们富有黏性的蛛丝能够将一些小枝叶与鹅卵石黏在一起。在西班牙的沙漠中,当研究人员移     

圈养鳄蜥放归初期的活动监测

2006年5月至9月,陆续将圈养的3雄1雌1亚成体健康鳄蜥（Shinisaurus crocodilurus）放归到广西大瑶山自然保护区。运用一套监测系统监视其活动路线、区域、选择的洞穴、摄食等情况,每天22：00后根据当天录像对其活动距离进行测量。结果表明：3个个体一直在放归地生活;个体日活动距离与其选择隐蔽所、进食相关,并与温度非常显著的相关（r=0．352,P〈0．01）,个体间活动距离差异不显著（F=1.028,P〉0.05）;在同一回水塘活动的个体,其活动区域重叠大,区域大小与回水塘面积、树枝位置及周围隐蔽条件有关。     

狼蛛的化学感受器在寻觅定位猎物中的作用研究

为探明蜘蛛的化学感受器在寻觅定位猎物中的作用,本研究以拟环纹豹蛛Pardosa pseudoannulata为捕食者、以果蝇为猎物,将蜘蛛饲养在室温23℃±1℃下,使其适应于当前的生长环境。以果蝇成虫饲养狼蛛,使其熟悉猎物气味。实验前,停止供给猎物,使狼蛛处于饥饿状态。一个星期后进行实验,采用Y型嗅觉仪法在黑暗条件下研究了狼蛛对猎物体液气味和体表气味的灵敏度反应。结果表明在实验距离内,狼蛛均能够正确选择有果蝇体液气味端,选择指数显著高于无果蝇体液气味端(P0.05),停留时间显著高于无果蝇体液气味端(P0.05),但当狼蛛与有果蝇体液气味端距离增大后,狼蛛对气味敏感程度下降,当狼蛛与气味源距离达到11 cm后,虽然狼蛛仍然能够正确选择有果蝇体液气味端,但选择指数显著下降(P0.05),回归分析显示,狼蛛对有果蝇体液气味端选择指数与狼蛛和气味源间距离呈高度负相关。同时,研究结果发现狼蛛对果蝇体液气味比果蝇体表气味的反应更敏感。     

2种织圆网蜘蛛个体大小与蛛网粘丝区面积间关系

在不惊扰蜘蛛的情况下对悦目金蛛Argiope amoena和圆尾肖蛸Tetragnatha vermiformis的个体大小与蛛网粘丝区面积问的相关性进行了野外观察。主要测量了蜘蛛体长、蛛网粘丝区直径、蛛网框丝固着点间最大距离、网中枢到地面或水面距离、网平面与水平线的夹角等参数;另外还对蛛网框丝固着点间最大距离作为圆网蛛网址选择行为量化指标的可行性进行了探讨。结果表明,2种蜘蛛体长与蛛网粘丝区面积以及蜘蛛体长与蛛网框丝固着点间最大距离均呈现明显的正相关。悦目金蛛体长与蛛网粘丝区面积的相关性高于圜尾肖蛸,这可能与悦目金蛛在其生境中易于找到框丝固着点、而圆尾肖蛸在其生境中较难找到框丝同着点有关;     

蜘蛛与蜘蛛、蜘蛛与猎物之间的信息联系机制

作为农林生态系统中首要的捕食性节肢动物的蜘蛛,只有单眼和听毛,并没有复眼和听器。因而在一定的距离之外,蜘蛛要高效、成功寻觅其理想的猎物,仅仅凭视觉、触觉、听觉均无法实现和完成这一功能。因此,蜘蛛的嗅觉即化学通信于蜘蛛种间和种内的信息联系中扮演着举足轻重的角色,现已有大量的研究用行为学的方法证明蜘蛛与猎物之间,蜘蛛与蜘蛛之间能够通过信息化学物质进行信息联系,但蜘蛛的嗅觉即化学信息素的释放与接收机制以及信息素的结构成份等方面的研究甚少,有待进一步深人。对蜘蛛与猎物之间,蜘蛛与蜘蛛之间的信息化学联系机制的研究进展做一综述。     

蜘蛛秘密20+

<正>1.许多蜘蛛都长有毒牙。有的毒牙从上向下攻击,有的毒牙从两侧向中间攻击。2.大多数蜘蛛都长有8只单眼。尽管长了这么多眼睛,蜘蛛的视力还是不太好。3.蜘蛛一共能分泌8种丝,每种丝都有不同的用途。4.不是所有的蜘蛛都用网来捕捉猎物。许多蜘蛛也主动攻击,寻找大餐。5.格莱斯捕鸟蛛是世界上最大的蜘蛛,它们能捕猎青蛙、蜥蜴、老鼠甚至鸟类。6.鸟粪蛛善于模仿鸟粪,发出令人厌恶的气味。     

农田节肢动物不同取样方法的综合比较

农田节肢动物多样性具有病虫害控制、传粉等价值, 选择一种或多种适宜、准确且高效的取样方法和指示类群来衡量农田节肢动物多样性是一项基础性工作。本文通过地表陷阱法、挂盆陷阱法、扫网法、目测计数法和吸虫器法在有机管理和常规管理农田区的不同农业生境类型中取样, 比较不同方法对不同生物类群的捕获效率、经济成本、响应敏感性等。研究发现在捕获效率方面, 地陷法和挂盆法最高, 其次是扫网法, 而吸虫器法和目测计数法较差。挂盆法对步甲、蜘蛛、蜂类和瓢虫类群的捕获效率较佳。陷阱法主要适用于蜘蛛和步甲的取样, 扫网法也可用于蜘蛛和瓢虫的取样。在经济成本方面, 地陷法的成本最低, 扫网法的总成本最高。每种取样方法下仅有个别类群个体数量具有较好的响应敏感性, 如地陷法的蜘蛛目个体数和步甲科个体数、挂盆法的总个体数、蜂类个体数和瓢虫科个体数、扫网法的直翅目个体数和半翅目个体数等。在此基础上, 综合类群经济价值, 操作难易, 类群鉴定难度, 被动取样程度, 是否受取样人影响等比较发现: 地陷法对步甲和蜘蛛的取样的综合效果最佳, 而不同取样方法下多种类群的组合能更好地监测和评价农田节肢动物多样性的整体情况。地陷法捕获步甲或/和蜘蛛以及挂盆法调查蜂类的组合是基于本研究得出的调查农田节肢动物多样性的最佳组合。     

低剂量农药作用下拟环纹豹蛛对褐飞虱的功能反应及搜寻行为

在室内研究了低剂量农药作用下拟环纹豹蛛对褐飞虱的功能反应及搜寻行为。结果表明,拟环纹豹蛛对褐飞虱的功能反应均符合Holling Ⅱ模型,且在最适的低剂量农药(V_药∶V_水为2∶5 000甲胺磷,12∶5 000杀虫双和1∶20烯丙菊酯)刺激下,蜘蛛捕食褐飞虱的数量是最多的,蜘蛛用于对1头褐飞虱进行制服和取食等活动所需的时间（处理猎物时间,Th）短,仅分别为未经农药处理的蜘蛛所需时间的0.45、0.32和0.35倍;而施用较高剂量8∶5 000的甲胺磷、28∶5 000的杀虫双和6∶20的烯丙菊酯的蜘蛛,处理猎物时间长得多,依次是经最适低剂量3种农药作用的蜘蛛所用时间的9.70、13.60和13.62倍。拟环纹豹蛛在稻株上的搜寻行为属非随机搜索型,在相同的低剂量农药作用下,蜘蛛的搜寻效应随飞虱密度的增加而下降;但在相同的猎物密度下,蜘蛛的搜寻效应与使用的农药浓度有密切的关系,在上述最适低剂量农药作用下,豹蛛对猎物的寻找效应最佳,其在稻株上的总滞留时间依次是未施药情形的1.56、1.49、1.48倍,总搜寻距离依次是未施药情形的1.36、1.42、1.39倍。据此,进一步证实了低剂量农药增强了稻田蜘蛛的控虫效能和对害虫的相对活力。     

环境类型和代谢表型对中华倒刺鲃群体行为的影响

鱼类个体因社会原因而聚集成群现象称作为鱼类群体行为,受到多种因素（如环境类型和能量代谢等）的影响。为考察代谢表型和环境类型对我国长江上游鲤科鱼类群体行为的影响,本研究以喜集群的中华倒刺鲃（Spinibarbus sinensis）为实验对象,在（26.1±0.1）℃水温条件下对该种鱼进行4种代谢表型[低标准代谢率/低代谢空间（低SMR/低AS）、低标准代谢率/高代谢空间（低SMR/高AS）、高标准代谢率/低代谢空间（高SMR/低AS）、高标准代谢率/高代谢空间（高SMR/高AS）]的分型并且在不同生态环境（无食物隐蔽场所、食物、食物隐蔽场所）条件下拍摄实验鱼的群体行为。结果发现：（1）中华倒刺鲃群体中的个体空间位置不受环境类型和代谢表型的影响;（2）中华倒刺鲃在空白环境（无食物隐蔽场所）和食物环境中的个体（群体）游泳速度和移动距离低于食物隐蔽场所环境,但前两种环境的个体游泳速度同步性高于食物隐蔽场所环境。（3）低SMR/低AS表型的个体空间位置的变异系数显著低于其它3种代谢表型;高SMR/高AS表型的最近邻距离以及与群体中间距离均大于低SMR/高AS和低SMR/低AS的两种代谢表型。然而,每种代谢表型在不同环境之间的最近邻距离均无差异。研究表明：虽然中华倒刺鲃群体中的个体空间位置不受环境类型和代谢表型影响,但不同代谢表型间的最近邻距离存在显著差异,暗示个体间的相互吸引力具有代谢表型依赖性;环境复杂性的增加可能不影响中华倒刺鲃的群体协调性。     

Asymmetry in spider orb webs: a result of physical constraints?

A typical feature of most vertical orb webs is that the upper web region is smaller and contains less silk than the lower web region, creating an asymmetrical web. The degree of web asymmetry changes during the spider's development: small juveniles construct more symmetrical webs, but older and larger individuals decrease the upper web region. This implies that weight may control the extent of web asymmetry. Using two species, Argiope keyserlingi and Larinioides sclopetarius, we tested the effect of weight increase on web asymmetry by naturally increasing weight through feeding and by artificially adding lead weights to the abdomen of the spiders. Weight increase (natural or artificial) resulted in more asymmetric webs through a reduction of the upper web region. Added weight may interfere with spiral placement in the upper region, because the spider has to lift its abdomen above the carapace during the process. In the lower region, however, the position of the spider is mostly head up during spiral placement. Therefore, amongst other factors, weight and gravitational forces may be physical constraints during web construction. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Web tuning of an orb-web spider, Octonoba sybotides, regulates prey-catching behaviour

An uloborid spider (Oclonoba sybotides constructs two types of web which are distinguished by linear or spiral stabilimenta. Food-deprived spiders tend to construct webs with spiral stabilimenta and food-satiated spiders tend to construct webs with linear stabilimenta. I experimentally examined the influence of web type on the speed of a spider's response to small and large flies. The results indicated that web type rather than the spiders' energetic condition influences the response speed to small or large Drosophila flies. I also examined whether thread tension affects the response speed of spiders by increasing the tension of the radial threads. The results showed that spiders on an expanded web responded to small prey as quickly as spiders on webs with spiral stabilimenta. The tension of the radial threads may be regulated by the degree of distortion of the radial threads at the hub. O. sybotides seems to construct orb webs which induce different responses for smaller, less-profitable prey according to its energetic state. The spider appears to increase the tension of the radial threads so that it can sense smaller prey better when hungry.     

The ecological and evolutionary interdependence between web architecture and web silk spun by orb web weaving spiders

Spider orb webs are dynamic, energy absorbing nets whose ability to intercept prey is dependent on both the mechnical properties of web design and the material properties of web silks. Variation in web designs reflects variation in spider web spinning behaviours and variation in web silks reflects variation in spider metabolic processes. Therefore, natural selection may affect web function (or prey capture) through two independent and alternative pathways. In this paper, I examine the ways in which architectural and material properties, singly and in concert, influence the ability of webs to absorb insect impact energy. These findings are evaluated in the context of the evolution of diverse aerial webs. Orb webs range along a continuum from high to low energy absorbing. No single feature of web architecture characterizes the amount of energy webs can absorb, but suites of characters indicate web function. In general, webs that intercept heavy and fast flying prey (high energy absorbing webs) are large, built by large spiders, suspended under high tension and characterized by a ratio of radii to spiral turns per web greater than one. In contrast, webs that intercept light and slow flying prey (low energy absorbing webs) are suspended under low tension, are small and are characterized by radial to spiral turn ratios that are less than one. The data suggest that for spiders building high energy absorbing webs, the orb architecture contributes much to web energy absorption. In contrast, for spiders that build low energy absorbing webs, orb architecture contributes little to enhance web energy absorption. Small or slow flying insects can be intercepted by web silks regardless of web design. Although there exists variation in the material properties of silk collected from high and low energy absorbing webs, only the diameter of web fibres varies predictably with silk energy absorption. Web fibre diameter and hence the amount of energy absorbed by web silks is an isometric function of spider size. The significance of these results lies in the apparent absence of selective advantage of orb architecture to low energy absorbing webs and the evolutionary trend to small spiders that build them. Where high energy absorption is not an exacting feature of web design, web architecture should not be tightly constrained to the orb. Assuming the primitive araneoid web design is the orb web, I propose that the evolution of alternative web building behaviours is a consequence of the general, phyletic trend to small size among araneoids. Araneoids that build webs of other than orb designs are able to use new habitats and resources not available to their ancestors.     

Design features of the orb web of the spider, Araneus diadematus

Analysis of orb webs of the garden cross spider (Araneus diadematus)showed that these vertical webs have a significant up/down asymmetry.Experiments demonstrated that the spider runs down faster thanup, and thus confers a relatively higher foraging value to sectionsbelow the hub. Simulations suggested that the density of capturespiral spacing, prey size, and the density of prey should allaffect the capture efficiency of a web. Webs lose effectivecapture area because of overlap of the capture zone around eachthread; the smaller the prey, the finer the mesh can be withoutlosing effective area. Lower sectors of the web have a particularmesh size (height and length of capture spiral segments) throughout,whereas in the upper sectors the mesh size changes, wideningfrom the hub towards the periphery.     

A virtual robot to model the use of regenerated legs in a web-building spider

The garden cross orb-spider, Araneus diadematus, shows behavioural responses to leg loss and regeneration that are reflected in the geometry of the web's capture spiral. We created a virtual spider robot that mimicked the web construction behaviour of thus handicapped real spiders. We used this approach to test the correctness and consistency of hypotheses about orb web construction. The behaviour of our virtual robot was implemented in a rule-based system supervising behaviour patterns that communicated with the robot's sensors and motors. By building the typical web of a nonhandicapped spider our first model failed and led to new observations on real spiders. We realized that in addition to leg position, leg posture could also be of importance. The implementation of this new hypothesis greatly improved the results of our simulation of a handicapped spider. Now simulated webs, like the real webs of handicapped spiders, had significantly more gaps in successive spiral turns compared with webs of nonhandicapped spiders. Moreover, webs built by the improved virtual spiders intercepted prey as well as the digitized real webs. However, the main factors that affected web interception frequency were prey size, size of capture area and individual variance; having a regenerated leg, surprisingly, was relatively unimportant for this trait. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Are three‐dimensional spider webs defensive adaptations?

Spider webs result from complex behaviours that have evolved under many selective pressures. Webs have been primarily considered to be foraging adaptations, neglecting the potential role of predation risk in the evolution of web architecture. The ecological success of spiders has been attributed to key innovations in how spiders use silk to capture prey, especially the invention of chemically adhesive aerial two‐dimensional orb webs. However, araneoid sheet web weavers transformed the orb architecture into three‐dimensional webs and are the dominant group of aerial web‐building spiders world‐wide, both in numbers and described species diversity. We argue that mud‐dauber wasps are major predators of orbicularian spiders, and exert a directional selective pressure to construct three‐dimensional webs such that three‐dimensional webs are partly defensive innovations. Furthermore, patterns of diversification suggest that escape from wasp predators may have facilitated diversification of three‐dimensional web‐building spiders.     

Effect of abiotic factors on the foraging strategy of the orb‐web spider Argiope keyserlingi (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract Environmental conditions such as light level, background contrast and temperature might influence a spider's prey capture success and risk of predation. Thus it may often be advantageous for spiders to adjust web‐building behaviour in response to variation in these environmental conditions. This hypothesis was examined in a study of the construction of webs and web decorations (conspicuous strands of silk at the hub of the web) of the orb‐web spider Argiope keyserlingi. Web decorations are thought to have one or more separate functions. They may attract prey, deter predators or advertise the web to oncoming birds, thus preventing web damage. In this series of experiments, relationships between weather parameters and the construction of webs and web decorations were considered. In complementary laboratory experiments, A. keyserlingi spiders were exposed to two different light levels (700 and 90 lx), background contrasts (black and white) and temperature conditions (20 and 26°C). Of the available weather parameters, only temperature was significantly related to web decorating behaviour but not to web size. In the laboratory, temperature also influenced web‐decorating behaviour, and spiders in dim light (700 lx) constructed larger webs and longer decorations. Background contrast did not significantly alter web size or web decorations. These data suggest that when prey availability is reduced at low temperatures, spiders may use web decorations to attract prey to the web. Similarly, in dim light, spiders may build more and larger decorations to increase the visual signal to approaching prey or to advertise the web to oncoming birds.     

Oldest true orb-weaving spider (Araneae: Araneidae)

The aerial orb web woven by spiders of the family Araneidae typifies these organisms to laypersons and scientists alike. Here we describe the oldest fossil species of this family, which is preserved in amber from Alava, Spain and represents the first record of Araneidae from the Lower Cretaceous. The fossils provide direct evidence that all three major orb web weaving families: Araneidae, Tetragnathidae and Uloboridae had evolved by this time, confirming the antiquity of the use of this remarkable structure as a prey capture strategy by spiders. Given the complex and stereotyped movements that all orb weavers use to construct their webs, there is little question regarding their common origin, which must have occurred in the Jurassic or earlier. Thus, various forms of this formidable prey capture mechanism were already in place by the time of the explosive Cretaceous co-radiation of angiosperms and their flying insect pollinators. This permitted a similar co-radiation of spider predators with their flying insect prey, presumably without the need for a 'catch-up lag phase' for the spiders.     

Behavioural and biomaterial coevolution in spider orb webs

Mechanical performance of biological structures, such as tendons, byssal threads, muscles, and spider webs, is determined by a complex interplay between material quality (intrinsic material properties, larger scale morphology) and proximate behaviour. Spider orb webs are a system in which fibrous biomaterials—silks—are arranged in a complex design resulting from stereotypical behavioural patterns, to produce effective energy absorbing traps for flying prey. Orb webs show an impressive range of designs, some effective at capturing tiny insects such as midges, others that can occasionally stop even small birds. Here, we test whether material quality and behaviour (web design) co‐evolve to fine‐tune web function. We quantify the intrinsic material properties of the sticky capture silk and radial support threads, as well as their architectural arrangement in webs, across diverse species of orb‐weaving spiders to estimate the maximum potential performance of orb webs as energy absorbing traps. We find a dominant pattern of material and behavioural coevolution where evolutionary shifts to larger body sizes, a common result of fecundity selection in spiders, is repeatedly accompanied by improved web performance because of changes in both silk material and web spinning behaviours. Large spiders produce silk with improved material properties, and also use more silk, to make webs with superior stopping potential. After controlling for spider size, spiders spinning higher quality silk used it more sparsely in webs. This implies that improvements in silk quality enable ‘sparser’ architectural designs, or alternatively that spiders spinning lower quality silk compensate architecturally for the inferior material quality of their silk. In summary, spider silk material properties are fine‐tuned to the architectures of webs across millions of years of diversification, a coevolutionary pattern not yet clearly demonstrated for other important biomaterials such as tendon, mollusc byssal threads, and keratin.