POLYETHISM IN FORAGING IN A POLYMORPHIC PREDATOR, ENOPLOGNATHA OVATA (ARANEAE: THERIDIIDAE): A CASE FOR BALANCE

Autor:	Peter G. Kevan, Carlos F. Greco
Rok vydání:	1999
Předmět:	Spider biology Physiology Ecology Foraging Theridiidae biology.organism_classification Misumena vatia Natural population growth Structural Biology Insect Science Thomisidae Enoplognatha ovata Molecular Biology Predator Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics
Zdroj:	The Canadian Entomologist. 131:259-268
ISSN:	1918-3240 0008-347X
DOI:	10.4039/ent131259-2
Popis:	Two colour morphs of Enoplognatha ovata (Clerck), “redimita” and “lineata” the abdomens of which are whitish with two pink stripes and greyish-yellow, respectively, differ in their foraging strategies. When placed in artificial arenas with flowering stems to ascend, we noted that both morphs had a strong tendency to wander over the ground rather than ascend a stem [unlike the crab spider, Misumena vatia Clerck (Araneae: Thomisidae)], but that lineata was significantly more prone to wander than was redimita. Neither morph showed choice for the type of stem or colour of flower. Nevertheless, redimita showed a greater preference for choosing white artificial flowers (discs) atop 30-cm wooden rods than did lineata. We propose that the relative abundances of the two colour morphs in the natural population represents a balanced polymorphism which is maintained in part by polyethism in hunting strategies, with redimita being more fastidious in its selection of cryptic hunting sites in flowers than is lineata, and the latter being more cryptic and more errant on the ground.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::eeb99c5e82174a9f81e7d2f3a5179ca3 https://doi.org/10.4039/ent131259-2 Zobrazit plný text záznamu