DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Chemical mediation of prey preferences by spider-hunting wasps within an evolutionary framework

PI：Martha WeissProposal number：iOS-0808434在进化框架内，捕蜘蛛黄蜂对猎物偏好的化学调节虽然蜘蛛是捕食者，但它们本身也被涂抹泥浆的黄蜂大量捕食。不同的涂抹泥土的物种优先捕捉特定的蜘蛛群体，但这些偏好的基础还没有被很好地理解。蜘蛛网结构一直被认为是一种防御黄蜂捕食的行为，三维蜘蛛网被认为比二维蜘蛛网提供了更有效的物理屏障。令人惊讶的是，我们实验的初步结果表明，涂抹泥浆的黄蜂Sceliphron Cementarium并不是根据网络特征做出觅食决定的。相反，它利用蜘蛛和/或蜘蛛网上的化学线索来识别猎物。这项拟议的研究将在进化框架内解决黄蜂捕食偏好的化学调节问题。这项工作的结果将为深入了解其他涂抹泥浆的黄蜂是否使用化学线索来识别蜘蛛猎物，以及是否所有被Sceliphron捕获的蜘蛛分类群都将具有类似的化学特征。这项研究还将帮助我们了解蜘蛛家族化学特征的变化是否可能使蜘蛛通过逃避黄蜂捕食而实现多样化。捕蜘蛛黄蜂的捕食偏好是由蜘蛛化学物质介导的，这一证明对我们理解捕食者-猎物之间的相互作用做出了重大贡献。这项研究将产生更广泛的影响，通过制定教学计划，为小学生和本科生提供教育和研究机会，利用泥巴涂鸦巢来教授生态概念。

PI: Martha WeissProposal number: IOS-0808434Chemical mediation of prey preferences by spider-hunting wasps within an evolutionary frameworkWhile spiders are predators, they are themselves heavily preyed upon by mud-dauber wasps. Different mud-dauber species preferentially capture particular groups of spiders, but the bases for these preferences are not well understood. Spider web architecture has been considered to be a defensive behavior against wasp predation, with three- dimensional webs thought to provide more effective physical barriers than their two-dimensional counterparts. Surprisingly, initial results from our experiments indicate that the mud-dauber wasp, Sceliphron caementarium, does not base its foraging decisions on web characteristics. Rather, it uses chemical cues present on spiders and /or their webs to recognize its prey. The proposed study will address chemical mediation of prey preferences by wasps within an evolutionary framework. The results of this work will provide insights into whether other mud-dauber wasps use chemical cues to recognize spider prey, and whether all spider taxa taken by Sceliphron will share similar chemical profiles. This research will also help us to understand whether changes in chemical profiles of spider families may have allowed spider diversification via escape from wasp predation. The demonstration that prey preferences of spider-hunting wasps are mediated by spider chemicals is a significant contribution to our understanding of predator-prey interactions. This study will have broader impacts by providing educational and research opportunities to elementary school and undergraduate students through development of lesson plans designed to teach ecological concepts using mud-dauber nests.