Sensory subsystems in jumping spiders

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Animals receive information about the environment from different sense organs, and they must evaluate and integrate these inputs in order to make behavioral decisions. Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes specialized for different functions, making them useful models for studying this type of integration. Their unique principal eyes function like telephoto lenses and have very high resolution. The retinas are tiny but can be directed, via movable eye tubes, toward different stimuli. The less complex secondary eyes are specialized for detecting movement. In this research, the detailed function of each type of eye will first be studied by masking sets of eyes and measuring spiders' responses to stimuli such as video images of prey. The investigators will also build an innovative eyetracker to monitor and measure the movement of the principal eyes. Next, the investigators will study how the eyes interact, and how spiders integrate visual information from each eye type. The comparison of two spider species, each with the same eye arrangement but very different behavioral patterns, will provide examples of how this basic system can be modified for different purposes. The results will shed light on how specialized units in a perceptual system function together to provide information that can be analyzed by a tiny brain. In addition, the results will have implications for robotic design. The project will provide support for a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student, and numerous undergraduates, and will enhance an international collaboration. Results will be communicated to lay audiences via a website in coordination with the American Arachnological Society.