Thermoregulatory Capability and Temperature Effects on Foraging Success in Two Species of Crab Spider, Misumenoides formosipes and Misumenops asperatus

温度在许多层面上影响生物体，影响诸如代谢率、生长速度和运动能力等基本过程。尽管大量的研究致力于确定温度如何影响单个生物体内的各种过程，但很少有工作研究温度对生物间相互作用的影响。以蜘蛛为模型陆生捕食者，我们的研究将集中在温度对捕食者-猎物相互作用的影响上，通过提出以下问题：蜘蛛的觅食成功是否随着一天中环境温度的变化而变化？如果是这样，蜘蛛是否可以通过调节体温来延长最大猎物捕获期？我们将使用两种蟹蛛，Misumenops asperatus和misumenides formosipes，它们分别在春末和夏末成熟。这些蜘蛛是伏击捕食者，以花为食，身体上压倒猎物，而不是用丝诱捕猎物。通过结合实验室和野外实验，我们将确定（每种蜘蛛）偏好的温度，蜘蛛能够活动的温度范围，温度对蜘蛛在该温度范围内觅食成功的影响，在野外捕获最多猎物的时间，以及蜘蛛使用的花朵的最大猎物访问时间。使用在季节中不同时间成熟的蜘蛛物种，从而经历不同的温度状态，将使我们能够更好地确定温度如何通过限制蜘蛛保持活跃的时间来直接影响蜘蛛。另一种可能是，蜘蛛可以耐受很宽的温度范围，但仍然可能受到直接温度限制对猎物活动时间的间接温度限制。*** *** *是t​$ $ $ (f /C荷兰语（可伸缩）符号“瑞士（可伸缩）5 Courier New ” h G h W G R:\WW20USER\ABSTRACT。DOT罗谢尔·D·雷罗谢尔·D·雷

9311203 Casey Temperature affects organisms at many levels and influences such fundamental processes as metabolic rate, growth rate, and movement capability. Although a great deal of research has been devoted to determining how temperature affects various processes within a single organism, little work has been done to investigate the influence of temperature on between-organism interactions. Using spiders as model terrestrial predators, our research will focus on the affect of temperature on predator-prey interactions by asking the following questions: does spider foraging success change as environmental temperature changes over the course of a day, and if so, can spiders extend the period of maximal prey capture by regulating body temperature? We will use two species of crab spider, Misumenops asperatus and Misumenoides formosipes, which mature in late spring and late summer, respectively. These spiders are ambush predators that hunt on flowers and physically over-power prey rather than ensnaring it in silk. Employing a combination of laboratory and field experiments, we will determine (for each species) preferred temperature, the temperature range over which spiders are capable of activity, the effect of temperature on spider foraging success within that temperature range, the timing of greatest prey capture in the field, and the timing of greatest prey visitation to flowers used by the spiders. Using spider species which mature at different times during the season, and thus experience different temperature regimes, will allow us to make a better determination of how temperature may affect spiders directly by limiting the amount of time a spider can remain active. Alternatively, spiders may be tolerant to a broad temperature range, yet may still be indirectly temperature limited by direct temperature limitations on prey activity time. *** v s t $ $ $ ( F / C Dutch (scalable) Symbol " Swiss (scalable) 5 Courier New " h G H W G R:\WW20USER\ABSTRACT.DOT Rochelle D Ray Rochelle D Ray