Haar, Stefan ter (2023) What is the function of orb-web spider decorations? Master's Thesis / Essay, Ecology and Evolution.
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Abstract
Spiders in the families Araneidae, Uloboridae and Tetragnathidae sometimes include conspicuous constructions in their orb-webs called ‘decorations’ or ‘stabilimenta’. These decorations consist of silk, debris and/or egg sacks and occur in several shapes including linear, cruciate, disc, spiral or tuft forms. The possible function of these web decorations is addressed by various hypotheses. Most studies have assumed a visual function that serves to (1) attract prey, (2) offer predator protection or (3) avoid inadvertent web damage by non-prey. Other hypotheses exploring non-visual functions have received considerable less attention. Despite a body of literature and several reviews no consensus has been reached. In this essay I addressed what the function of web decorations is. Decorations attract predominantly flying prey through UV-reflectance, which leads to increased prey-capture rates in most but not all studies. Well-fed spiders display a higher decoration frequency and decorated webs are smaller than undecorated webs, which suggests that decoration construction may be an alternative forage tactic. Several decoration types offer protection from predators, but some spiders exposed to predator cues decrease decoration frequency and decorations can also attract predators. Decorated webs sustained less damage likely by acting as a warning signal to non-prey, but this topic is under investigated. All in all decorations appear to function mainly as a visual signal.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Billeter, J.C. |
| Degree programme: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Jun 2023 14:24 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jun 2023 14:24 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/29969 |
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