Visual Communication and Species Recognition

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Dr. Uetz and Mr. Clark will investigate visual communication behavior and its role in species recognition in salticid spiders, which have well-developed vision. Experiments will be performed to study the relative importance of morphology (form, coloration, markings) and species-specific behavior patterns (movement, sequence) of courting males in eliciting responses from females. Using a newly-developed method, Dr. Uetz and Mr. Clark will investigate the interaction of morphology and behavior in courtship of Maevia inclemens, a salticid spider that has two distinct male forms differing in appearance and behavior. Courtship behavior sequences of males of both types will be videotaped, digitized, and stored on the computer. Morphological characteristics and behavioral patterns of the two morphs will then be experimentally manipulated using computer/video animation techniques, and presented to female spiders on microtelevision screens. Responses of female spiders to various combinations of these computer-generated video images, as well as to videotapes of real spiders, will be studied. By experimentally separating form and behavior, and recombining them in novel combinations, Dr. Uetz and Mr. Clark will be able to have complete control over stimuli presented to the female (which is not possible with live male spiders), and to identify critical visual elements involved in courtship of this unique spider. These experimental studies will allow Dr. Uetz and Mr. Clark to test hypotheses about animal communication and its adaptive functions, and will contribute to better understanding of species-recognition mechanisms. In addition, the development of this powerful new computer-assisted technique for studying animal behavior has enormous potential for a number of areas of investigation, including mate choice, agonistic behavior, visual perception, and neurophysiology.