Multiple prey cues induce foraging flexibility in a trap-building predator
Multiple prey cues induce foraging flexibility in a trap-building predator
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DOI：
10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.01.022
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发表时间：
2011-05-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Tso, I-Min
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Blamires, Sean J.;Chao, Yi-Chi;Tso, I-Min
捕食者必须行为灵活，以应对其猎物的时空随机波动和反应可变性。为了确保动物在各种环境中都能表现出适当的行为，动物必须定期评估环境线索。蜘蛛的圆球网是捕食者灵活觅食特征的一个例子，因为网的结构成分随着暴露于不同的猎物类型和猎物特征而变化。orb网蜘蛛用来启动web架构更改的线索尚不清楚。目前的研究预测，猎物的营养和振动刺激是潜在的候选因素，但它们如何结合起来影响蜘蛛的觅食决定尚不清楚。我们将巨型木蜘蛛Nephila pilipes暴露在不同的猎物营养物质和振动刺激下进行了实验。蜘蛛被喂食高动能的大猎物（蟋蟀）或低动能的小猎物（苍蝇）。在两种处理中，猎物的营养和振动信号来自活的猎物，但在另外两种处理中，蜘蛛收到的是死蟋蟀，它们的蛛网受到苍蝇的刺激，反之亦然。以活苍蝇为食的蜘蛛会织出更大的网，网的半径更大，硬度更低，而且有更好的减振能力。这些蛛网特征在其他三个治疗组之间没有差异。我们的研究结果表明，在缺乏来自有利可图猎物的营养和振动信号的情况下，蜘蛛会改变它们的网结构，以更好地捕获利润较低的猎物，代价是更多的材料投入，更高的网能见度和降低的振动信号清晰度。(C) 2011动物行为研究协会。Elsevier Ltd.出版。版权所有。
Predators must be behaviourally flexible to counter the temporal and spatial stochastic fluctuations and response variability of their prey. To ensure behaviours are adequate across environments, animals must regularly assess environmental cues. Spider orb webs are an example of a flexible foraging trait in a predator, as web architectural components vary in response to exposure to different prey types and prey traits. The cues used by orb web spiders to initiate changes in web architecture are not known. Current research predicts that prey nutrients and vibratory stimuli are potential candidates, but how they combine to affect spider foraging decisions is not clear. We performed experiments exposing the giant wood spider, Nephila pilipes, to different prey nutrients and vibratory stimuli. Spiders were fed either large profitable prey with high kinetic energy (crickets) or small prey with low kinetic energy (flies). In two treatments the prey nutrients and vibratory cues came from live prey, but in the other two treatments spiders received dead crickets with webs stimulated by flies and vice versa. The spiders fed on live flies built larger webs with more radii that were less stiff and had greater vibration damping. These web characteristics did not differ between the other three treatment groups. Our results show that in the absence of nutrient and vibratory cues from profitable prey, spiders alter their web architecture to build webs better able to capture the less profitable prey at a cost of more material investment, greater web visibility and reduced vibratory signal clarity. (C) 2011 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.