The behavioral research presented here revolves around jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) belonging to the genus Phidippus. I studied the foraging behavior of P. audax. My findings suggest that foraging P. audax do not use chemical cues left by prey, while the wolf spider Pardosa milvina in the same experimental setup does respond to chemical cues. I studied movement patterns and the use of navigational beacons in the jumping spider P. clarus . I measured the degree of nest site fidelity with individually marked spiders and a grid of artificial nest tubes. I tested whether females used beacons to find their nests. I demonstrated that P. clarus are likely to need navigational skills, and are able to use beacons as a method of navigation. I examined the use of P. clarus as a biocontrol agent, and my results suggest that jumping spider predation is effective at reducing pest numbers and has a positive effect on plant performance. Lastly, I explored the role of male mate choice and size-assortative mating in P. clarus. I discovered that males and females pair assortatively for size, and adult males exhibit preferences for large females, which mature before smaller females. Female size is strongly correlated with the number of spiderlings that emerge.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-4112 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Creators | Hoefler, Chad D |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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