Prey caught by a sample population of the spider Argiope argentata (Araneae: Araneidae) in Panama: a year's census data

doi:10.1111/J.1096-3642.1970.TB00746.X

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Prey caught by a sample population of the spider Argiope argentata (Araneae: Araneidae) in Panama: a year's census data

Journal Article•DOI•

Prey caught by a sample population of the spider Argiope argentata (Araneae: Araneidae) in Panama: a year's census data

Michael H. Robinson¹, Barbara Robinson¹•Institutions (1)

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute¹

01 Nov 1970-Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Blackwell Publishing Ltd)-Vol. 49, Iss: 4, pp 345-358

TL;DR: The prey caught by mature female Argiope argentata was censused over a period of one year and the prey-animals seen in the webs were classified into orders and lower taxa, where possible.

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About: This article is published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.The article was published on 1970-11-01. It has received 114 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Argiope argentata.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Competition in tropical stream fishes : support for the competitive exclusion principle

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Thomas M. Zaret¹, Thomas M. Zaret², A. Stanley Rand³•Institutions (3)

Yale University¹, University of Washington², Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute³

01 Mar 1971-Ecology

TL;DR: This seasonal coincidence of the most distinct species separations with the time of increased competition are exactly those consequences predicted by the principle of competitive exclusion, providing strong support for the validity of this principle.

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Abstract: Two collections of fish were made from the same Panama lowland stream, one during the dry season, and a second during the wet season. Food overlaps among nine sympatric fish species were calculated for each collection by examining fish stomach contents. Species habitats and feeding methods were determined from field and laboratory observations. Estimates of food abundance, measured independently from food overlap, were made by direct and indirect methods, and were used to determine relative levels of competition. The results show that food overlaps among the fishes are at a minimum during the dry season. Food abundance is also lowest during the dry season, which suggests increased competition for food at this time. This seasonal coincidence of the most distinct species separations with the time of increased competition are exactly those consequences predicted by the principle of competitive exclusion. It is concluded that this study provides strong support for the validity of this principle.

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725 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Sweep Samples of Tropical Foliage Insects: Effects of Seasons, Vegetation Types, Elevation, Time of Day, and Insularity

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Daniel H. Janzen

01 May 1973-Ecology

TL;DR: In this paper, the adult beetles, adult bugs, or all arthropods, in sweep samples from Costa Rican secondary vegetation and primary forest understory during night and day, over a 3,340-m elevational transect, during the wet and dry seasons, and from Caribbean Island secondary vegetation.

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Abstract: Detailed data (numbers of species, numbers of individuals, measures of species diversity, evenness, dry weight) are presented on the adult beetles, adult bugs, or all arthropods, in sweep samples from Costa Rican secondary vegetation and primary forest understory during night and day, over a 3,340—m elevational transect, during the wet and dry seasons, and from Caribbean Island secondary vegetation. Adult bugs were found to be reduced much more severely than adult beetles in moving from secondary vegetation to primary forest understory. The number of species and individuals of insects is severely reduced in this transition, though the reduction in number of species is probably an artifact of inadequate samples from the forest understory. There is a strong movement of insects into moist refugia during the dry season, and a strong reduction in numbers of species and individuals during the dry season in areas with a severe dry season. In areas with a very mild dry season, the numbers and species of insects appear to rise during the dry season. There is very low overlap in insect species composition between secondary vegetation and the adjacent forest understory. The numbers of insects and species above intermediate elevations show a general decrease, and intermediate elevations appear to have the highest insect density. This is believed due to a higher harvestable productivity from the plant community at intermediate elevations owing to lowered plant maintenance costs on cool nights.The insect community changes little from day to night, except during the dry season in areas that have a severe dry season. Here there is a dramatic increase in individuals and numbers of species at night, in dry sites with nearby moist refugia. It appears that a high proportion of the insect community passes the dry season as active adults in reproductive diapause. The islands have dramatically reduced numbers of individuals as well as species of insects in both the wet and dry seasons. Part of the large insectivorous" lizard community supported by these depauperate islands may be due to the lizards turning vegetarian. In order to digest vegetable matter, lizards probably have to bask in the sun; this exposes them to predators, but lizard predators are absent from the islands.

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645 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, food and abundance of tropical insects

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Henk Wolda

01 Jun 1978-Journal of Animal Ecology

TL;DR: It is shown that, especially for those groups of Homoptera that have nymphs feeding on the foliage, there is a good relation between leaf production and the demography of the species concerned.

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Abstract: SUMMARY (1) Light trap data, covering over 3 years, are discussed for some groups of insects in the lowland tropical monsoon forest on Barro Colorado Island. The groups concerned are Homoptera, Tettigoniidae and Mantidae. (2) The data are compared with information on rainfall and leaf production. It is shown that, especially for those groups of Homoptera that have nymphs feeding on the foliage, there is a good relation between leaf production and the demography of the species concerned.

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485 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Ecology of the true spiders (araneomorphae )

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A. L. Turnbull

01 Jan 1973-Annual Review of Entomology

396 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Feeding ecology of thirteen syntopic species of anurans in a seasonal tropical environment.

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Catherine A. Toft¹•Institutions (1)

University of California, Davis¹

01 Apr 1980-Oecologia

TL;DR: Investigating the diets and patterns of coexistence in this group of ecologically similar species of anurans at the Río Llullapichis in Amazonian Perú finds similarity in diet within guilds tends to be lowest in the dry season when food is less abundant, suggesting that food is in short supply in thedry season.

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Abstract: Thirteen species of anurans belonging to three families forage diurnally for arthropods in the leaf litter of the lowland rainforest at the Rio Llullapichis in Amazonian Peru. This paper investigates the diets and patterns of coexistence in this group of ecologically similar species. All thirteen species use the forest floor habitat without apparent differentiation. Most species take prey in proportions significantly different from those occurring in the leaf litter and comprise two specialist guilds: dendrobatids and bufonids that eat hard-bodied, slow-moving arthropods such as ants and mites; and leptodactylids that eat soft-bodied, mobile arthropods, primarily orthopterans and large spiders. Dendrobates femoralis (Boulenger) is a generalist, taking prey in proportions not significantly different from those in the leaf litter. Within specialist guilds, body sizes of species vary and are correlated with the size of prey taken. Foraging behavior and predator defense also correlate with the type and sizes of prey taken. Ant specialists tend to be poisonous and active searchers, taking many small prey per day. Non-ant specialists are cryptic, sit-and-wait foragers that take few large prey per day. Similarity in diet within guilds tends tobe lowest in the dry season when food is less abundant, suggesting that food is in short supply in the dry season.

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354 citations

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References

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Open Access

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Journal Article•DOI•

Animal ecology : aims and methods

[...]

Amyan Macfadyen

01 Jan 1957-Oikos

150 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Adhesiveness of spider silk.

[...]

Thomas Eisner¹, Rosalind Alsop¹, George Ettershank¹•Institutions (1)

Cornell University¹

20 Nov 1964-Science

TL;DR: Quantitative data are presented on the adhesiveness of spider thread to insect cuticles oq various kinds.

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Abstract: Moths, by virtue of the loose scales that cover their wings and bodies, are admirably adapted to elude capture by orb-weaving spiders. Rather than sticking to the web, they may simply lose some of their scales to the viscid threads, and then fly on. Other insects, covered with detachable hairs or waxy powder, are similarly protected against entrapment. Quantitative data are presented on the adhesiveness of spider thread to insect cuticles oq various kinds.

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116 citations

"Prey caught by a sample population ..." refers background in this paper

...Turnbull (1960) has given details of the types and numbers of prey caught by field popuIations of Linyphia triangularis Clerck, in England. He concluded that this species is a truly polyphagous predator, feeding at some time or another on all the insects which are available to it. The question of 'availability' with reference to the prey of orb web spiders is a most interesting one. Turnbull (1960) discusses the factors which will D ow naded rom http/academ ic....
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...In order to interpret the results of our study certain important aspects of the behaviour and ecology of Argiqpe argentata must be borne in mind. The nature and composition of the vegetation in the study area is also clearly of importance since it may affect the range of potential prey types available to the spiders. Wherever we have encountered Argiope argentata in Panama, it has proved to be a spider of low vegetation. We have not seen the spider in vegetation exceeding 2 m in height. It is thus a species of forest clearings and road or trailside vegetation. We have not found Argiope argentata in extensive grassland areas, although we expected to do so. Its webs are seldom built to a height of more than 50 cm above the ground and are almost always inclined to the vertical (although always more nearly vertical than horizontal). The spider stands at the hub of the web and on the underside. The upperside of the web usually faces clear areas or areas of lower vegetation. The webs vary in size from day to day and from spider to spider. Such variations may depend on the predatory success of the spider (see Witt (1963) for a review of the effects of food supply on web size in araneids)....
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...From this it will be seen that bees constituted by far the largest number of insects caught (2910). These were almost entirely stingless bees of the genus Trigma and were occasionally caught in very large numbers by individual spiders....
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...remains dropped after feeding show a weight loss in the range 50-78% (varying from meal to meal and with the size and type of insect prey). If we assume that this weight loss is caused by ingestion of material from the prey during feeding, and take, arbitrarily, 75% as the proportion of the initial wet weight absorbed, we arrive at a figure of 0.068 g intake per spider per day. If we then assume that insect wet weights are made up of 60:/, water, then the dry weight intake becomes 0.02 g/spider day. In terms of calories, assuming 5000 cal/g dry weight of insect (a reasonable approximation, see Southwood, 1966; 360), this amounts to 100 cal/day. This figure does not take into account assimilation efficiency. Phillipson (1960 a, b) gives an assimilation/consumption figure of 46% for the opilionid Mitopus morio (at 0.05 g body weight). If Argiope argentata achieves anything like this efficiency, the daily calorific intake may be around 40, for mature females. MacFadyen (1963) gives a metabolism figure of 27 cal/g for Araneae....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Predatory Behavior of Argiope argentata (Fabricius)

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Michael H. Robinson¹•Institutions (1)

Smithsonian Institution¹

01 Feb 1969-Integrative and Comparative Biology

TL;DR: The initial response to butterflies and moths is a long bite, whereas all other insects, except the very smallest, are wrapped in silk, which is probably adaptive since it applies very rapid restraint to insects which can escape rapidly from spiders' webs.

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Abstract: SYNOPSIS. Insects striking the web of Argiope argentata evoke a complex sequence of behaviors. These involve prey-location, prey-immobilization, prey-transport, and preymanipulation before feeding. The behavioral elements which form a sequence are not always the same nor do they always occur in the same order. This paper describes some commonly occurring sequences and reports on progress in the experimental analysis of the external stimuli which affect the form of such sequences. Particular emphasis is given to the stimuli which affect the first response to contact with the prey. The initial response to butterflies and moths is a long bite, whereas all other insects, except the very smallest, are wrapped in silk. This special response to Lepidoptera is probably adaptive since it applies very rapid restraint to insects which can escape rapidly from spiders' webs. The long bite given to Lepidoptera is based on a discrimination which is not affected by vibration, weight, size, or shape. Experiments suggest that discrimination is based on surface texture. The functional significance of other elements of the behavioral sequences is discussed.

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97 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The prey of the spider linyphia triangularis (clerck) (araneae, linyphiidae)

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A. L. Turnbull

01 Oct 1960-Canadian Journal of Zoology

TL;DR: In a study of the natural foods of the spider, Linyphia triangularis (Clerck), a weekly 3-hour watch of 50 webs was kept from May 1 to October 15, and a total of 581 insects representing 153 species entered webs during the observation periods.

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Abstract: In a study of the natural foods of the spider, Linyphia triangularis (Clerck), a weekly 3-hour watch of 50 webs was kept from May 1 to October 15. A total of 581 insects representing 153 species en...

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94 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The stabilimentum of the orb web spider, argiope argentata : an improbable defence against predators

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Michael H. Robinson¹, Barbara Robinson¹•Institutions (1)

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute¹

01 Jun 1970-Canadian Entomologist

TL;DR: It is suggested that the stabilimentum provides the spider with a means of making a final adjustment to the mechanical state of the web when this is necessary and is argued that the A .

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Abstract: The stabilimentum of orb web spiders is a structure for which several functions, both mechanical and defensive, have been suggested. Argiope argentata (Fabricius) builds a stabilimentum in the form of a white diagonal cross. Analysis of over 2500 webs of this species shows that the perfect cross is seldom built and nearly two thirds of the webs contain no stabilimentum at all. Experiments with wild birds as predators show that they can use stabilimentum-like models in prey location. From these data, and a review of the defensive adaptations of orb web spiders, it is argued that the A. argentata stabilimentum is not an anti-predator device. The evidence for a mechanical function is reviewed and discussed. It is suggested that the stabilimentum provides the spider with a means of making a final adjustment to the mechanical state of the web when this is necessary.

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69 citations