Host Plant Availability and Nest-Site Selection of the Social Spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898 (Eresidae)

An animals’ habitat defines the resources that are available for its use, such as host plants or food sources, and the use of these resources are critical for optimizing fitness. Spiders are abundant in all terrestrial habitats and are often associated with vegetation, which may provide structure for anchoring capture webs, attract insect prey, or provide protective function. Social spiders construct sedentary communal silk nests on host plants, but we know little about whether and how they make nest-site decisions. We examined host plant use in relation to host plant availability in the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898 (Eresidae) across different arid biomes in Namibia and analysed the role of host plant characteristics (height, spines, scent, sturdiness) on nest occurrence. Host plant communities and densities differed between locations. Spider nests were relatively more abundant on Acacia spp., Boscia foetida, Combretum spp., Dichrostachys cinerea, Parkinsonia africana, Tarchonanthus camphoratus, and Ziziphus mucronatus, and nests survived longer on preferred plant genera Acacia, Boscia and Combretum. Spider nests were relatively more abundant on plants higher than 2 m, and on plants with thorns and with a rigid structure. Our results suggest that spiders display differential use of host plant species, and that characteristics such as rigidity and thorns confer benefits such as protection from browsing animals.

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Nest of the Social Spider Phryganoporus-Candidus (Araneae, Desidae) - Structure, Annual Growth-Cycle and Host-Plant Relationships

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo9940237 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 237 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

MF Downes

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Growth Cycle ◽

Nest Size ◽

Social Spider ◽

Evolution Of Sociality ◽

The Social ◽

Form Compound ◽

Nest Height ◽

And Function

Aspects of the biology of the social spider Phryganoponrs candidus (=Badumna candida) (L. Koch) in relation to its life history are described, based on data from a field and laboratory study conducted over several years at Townsville, Queensland. Host plant records and preferences are given, and an analysis made of the effects of nest height and ecotone proximity on nest occurrence. Founded between October and February as a chambered silk funnel by a solitary subadult female, the nest was enlarged by the female and her progeny into a complex retreat area and an outlying prey-trapping area. The architecture of the retreat was not an aggregation of repeated subunits. Closely adjacent nests sometimes united their prey-capture webbing to form compound nests. From a tagged sample of new-founded nests, 31% reached a stage at which thriving spiderlings were present. Numbers of spiders in nests ranged from 9 to 224 and correlated with nest size, which ranged from 70 to more than 20 000 cm(2). At the peak of nest growth in October, the stage at which subadult spiders began to disperse, about 90 spiders inhabited each nest; only 12% of new-founded nests reached this stage. Summer dispersal left nests empty; they degenerated under rain and became moribund by March. The main host plants were Zizyphus mauritiana (the chinee apple) and Dolichondrone heterophylla. Most nests occurred between 0.5 and 2.5 m from the ground but height did not influence nest success. Nests were prevalent at ecotones, although they did not thrive better there. Because so much of the social biology of spiders is integrated with the structure and function of their nests, these findings are relevant to an understanding of the evolution of sociality in spiders.

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Fire creates host plant patches for monarch butterflies

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2012.0550 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 968-971 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Kristen A. Baum ◽

Wyatt V. Sharber

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Great Plains ◽

Prescribed Fire ◽

Host Plants ◽

Danaus Plexippus ◽

Monarch Butterflies ◽

Plant Availability ◽

Southern Great Plains ◽

Asclepias Viridis ◽

New Generation

Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) depend on the presence of host plants ( Asclepias spp.) within their breeding range for reproduction. In the southern Great Plains, Asclepias viridis is a perennial that flowers in May and June, and starts to senesce by August. It is locally abundant and readily used by monarchs as a host plant. We evaluated the effects of summer prescribed fire on A. viridis and the use of A. viridis by monarch butterflies. Summer prescribed fire generated a newly emergent population of A. viridis that was absent in other areas. Pre-migrant monarch butterflies laid eggs on A. viridis in summer burned plots in late August and September, allowing adequate time for a new generation of adult monarchs to emerge and migrate south to their overwintering grounds. Thus, summer prescribed fire may provide host plant patches and/or corridors for pre-migrant monarchs during a time when host plant availability may be limited in other areas.

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Physical and social cues shape nest-site preference and prey capture behavior in social spiders

Behavioral Ecology ◽

10.1093/beheco/araa003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 627-632 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabriella M Najm ◽

Angelika Pe ◽

Jonathan N Pruitt ◽

Noa Pinter-Wollman

Keyword(s):

Nest Site ◽

Prey Capture ◽

Minority Group ◽

Site Preference ◽

Social Spider ◽

Site Preferences ◽

Conflicting Demands ◽

The Social ◽

Web Building ◽

Prey Capture Behavior

Abstract Animals often face conflicting demands when making movement decisions. To examine the decision process of social animals, we evaluated nest-site preferences of the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola. Colonies engage in collective web building, constructing 3D nests and 2D capture webs on trees and fences. We examined how individuals and groups decide where to construct a nest based on habitat structure and conspecific presence. Individuals had a strong preference for 3D substrates and conspecific presence. Groups were then provided with conflicting options of 3D substrates versus 2D substrates with a conspecific. Groups preferred the 3D structures without presettled conspecifics over a 2D substrate with conspecifics. When a group fragmented and individuals settled on both substrates, the minority group eventually joined the majority. Before rejoining, the collective prey capture behavior of divided groups improved with the size of the majority fragment. The costs of slow responses to prey for split groups and weak conspecific attraction may explain why dispersal is rare in these spiders.

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VIEWING HABITAT THROUGH ANOTHER LENS: BIRD NEST-SITE SELECTION AND PRODUCTIVITY ACROSS A BEACH THERMAL LANDSCAPE

10.1130/abs/2019se-326650 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Lauren Schaale ◽

◽

Joseph Baxley ◽

Narcisa Pricope ◽

Raymond M. Danner

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Bird Nest

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Nest site selection and breeding ecology of the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) in Algeria

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01524 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. e01524

Author(s):

Karim Loucif ◽

Mohamed Cherif Maazi ◽

Moussa Houhamdi ◽

Haroun Chenchouni

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Breeding Ecology

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Effect of host plant on the life history of the carnation tortrix moth Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485321000493 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Marcin W. Zielonka ◽

Tom W. Pope ◽

Simon R. Leather

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Host Plant ◽

Plant Species ◽

Host Plants ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Plant Production ◽

Pupal Weight ◽

Production Environment ◽

Host Plant Species ◽

The Uk

Abstract The carnation tortrix moth, Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Hübner, [1799]) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is one of the most economically important insect species affecting the horticultural industry in the UK. The larvae consume foliage, flowers or fruits, and/or rolls leaves together with silken threads, negatively affecting the growth and/or aesthetics of the crop. In order to understand the polyphagous behaviour of this species within an ornamental crop habitat, we hypothesized that different host plant species affect its life history traits differently. This study investigated the effects of the host plant species on larval and pupal durations and sizes, and fecundity (the number of eggs and the number and size of egg clutches). At 20°C, 60% RH and a 16L:8D photoperiod larvae developed 10, 14, 20 and 36 days faster when reared on Christmas berry, Photinia (Rosaceae), than on cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus (Rosaceae), New Zealand broadleaf, Griselinia littoralis (Griseliniaceae), Mexican orange, Choisya ternata (Rutaceae), and firethorn, Pyracantha angustifolia (Rosaceae), respectively. Female pupae were 23.8 mg heavier than male pupae, and pupal weight was significantly correlated with the duration of larval development. The lowest and the highest mean numbers of eggs were produced by females reared on Pyracantha (41) and Photinia (202), respectively. Clutch size differed significantly among moths reared on different host plants, although the total number of eggs did not differ. This study showed that different ornamental host plants affect the development of C. pronubana differently. Improved understanding of the influence of host plant on the moth's life history parameters measured here will help in determining the economic impact that this species may have within the ornamental plant production environment, and may be used in developing more accurate crop protection methodologies within integrated pest management of this insect.

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Root-associated entomopathogenic fungi manipulate host plants to attract herbivorous insects

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80123-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Belén Cotes ◽

Gunda Thöming ◽

Carol V. Amaya-Gómez ◽

Ondřej Novák ◽

Christian Nansen

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽

Host Plants ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Delia Radicum ◽

Host Plant Selection ◽

Herbivorous Insects ◽

Herbivorous Insect ◽

Insect Performance ◽

Leaf Reflectance

AbstractRoot-associated entomopathogenic fungi (R-AEF) indirectly influence herbivorous insect performance. However, host plant-R-AEF interactions and R-AEF as biological control agents have been studied independently and without much attention to the potential synergy between these functional traits. In this study, we evaluated behavioral responses of cabbage root flies [Delia radicum L. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)] to a host plant (white cabbage cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba cv. Castello L.) with and without the R-AEF Metarhizium brunneum (Petch). We performed experiments on leaf reflectance, phytohormonal composition and host plant location behavior (behavioral processes that contribute to locating and selecting an adequate host plant in the environment). Compared to control host plants, R-AEF inoculation caused, on one hand, a decrease in reflectance of host plant leaves in the near-infrared portion of the radiometric spectrum and, on the other, an increase in the production of jasmonic, (+)-7-iso-jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine and salicylic acid in certain parts of the host plant. Under both greenhouse and field settings, landing and oviposition by cabbage root fly females were positively affected by R-AEF inoculation of host plants. The fungal-induced change in leaf reflectance may have altered visual cues used by the cabbage root flies in their host plant selection. This is the first study providing evidence for the hypothesis that R-AEF manipulate the suitability of their host plant to attract herbivorous insects.

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Territory and Nest-Site Selection of Cerulean Warblers in Eastern Ontario

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/118.3.727 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 118 (3) ◽

pp. 727-735 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jason Jones ◽

Raleigh J. Robertson

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Population Characteristics ◽

Dendroica Cerulea ◽

Large Trees ◽

Eastern Ontario ◽

Cerulean Warblers

Abstract We examined habitat selection by breeding Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) at three spatial scales in eastern Ontario over three years (1997–1999). Territories were characterized by well-spaced large trees, with high canopies and dense foliage cover at heights between 12–18 m. Nesting habitat additionally was characterized by dense foliage cover above 18 m. The results of our nest-patch (0.04 ha circle around nest) and nest-site (0.01 ha circle) analyses indicate that male Cerulean Warblers may take active roles in nest-site selection when selecting territories. We conclude from our nest-patch and nest-site selection analyses that territories likely contain multiple nest patches and sites and that male Cerulean Warblers may defend areas with multiple nest patches or sites, which may attract females to settle with them. Whether or not Cerulean Warbler females use nest-site availability as a mate- or territory-choice cue remains unknown. We also tested the validity of a commonly made assumption that a random sampling of habitat by researchers is representative of the habitat actually available to birds and found that, in our study area, the assumption was invalid. Taken together, our results point toward the need to maintain sizeable stands of mature, deciduous forest to ensure the persistence of Cerulean Warblers in eastern Ontario. Population characteristics such as lower minimum area requirements and a resilience to habitat disturbance may make that an easier job in eastern Ontario than elsewhere in this species' breeding range.

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