DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Chemical mediation of prey preferences by spider-hunting wasps within an evolutionary framework

论文研究：进化框架内蜘蛛狩猎黄蜂对猎物偏好的化学调节

• 批准号: 0808434
• 负责人: Martha Weiss
• 金额: $ 0.69万
• 依托单位: Georgetown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-06-01 至 2010-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0808434&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Chemical; mediation; prey

PI: Martha WeissProposal number: IOS-0808434Chemical mediation of prey preferences by spider-hunting wasps within an evolutionary frameworkWhile spiders are predators, they are themselves heavily preyed upon by mud-dauber wasps. Different mud-dauber species preferentially capture particular groups of spiders, but the bases for these preferences are not well understood. Spider web architecture has been considered to be a defensive behavior against wasp predation, with three- dimensional webs thought to provide more effective physical barriers than their two-dimensional counterparts. Surprisingly, initial results from our experiments indicate that the mud-dauber wasp, Sceliphron caementarium, does not base its foraging decisions on web characteristics. Rather, it uses chemical cues present on spiders and /or their webs to recognize its prey. The proposed study will address chemical mediation of prey preferences by wasps within an evolutionary framework. The results of this work will provide insights into whether other mud-dauber wasps use chemical cues to recognize spider prey, and whether all spider taxa taken by Sceliphron will share similar chemical profiles. This research will also help us to understand whether changes in chemical profiles of spider families may have allowed spider diversification via escape from wasp predation. The demonstration that prey preferences of spider-hunting wasps are mediated by spider chemicals is a significant contribution to our understanding of predator-prey interactions. This study will have broader impacts by providing educational and research opportunities to elementary school and undergraduate students through development of lesson plans designed to teach ecological concepts using mud-dauber nests.

PI：Martha Weiss 提案编号：IOS-0808434 在进化框架内，蜘蛛狩猎黄蜂对猎物偏好的化学调节虽然蜘蛛是捕食者，但它们本身也受到泥涂黄蜂的严重捕食。不同的泥涂者物种优先捕获特定的蜘蛛群体，但这些偏好的基础尚不清楚。蜘蛛网结构被认为是针对黄蜂捕食的防御行为，三维网被认为比二维网提供更有效的物理屏障。令人惊讶的是，我们实验的初步结果表明，泥浆黄蜂 Sceliphron caementarium 并不根据网的特征做出觅食决定。相反，它使用蜘蛛和/或其网上存在的化学线索来识别猎物。拟议的研究将在进化框架内解决黄蜂对猎物偏好的化学调节。这项工作的结果将有助于了解其他泥浆黄蜂是否使用化学线索来识别蜘蛛猎物，以及 Sceliphron 捕获的所有蜘蛛类群是否都具有相似的化学特征。这项研究还将帮助我们了解蜘蛛家族化学特征的变化是否可能使蜘蛛通过逃避黄蜂捕食而实现多样化。蜘蛛狩猎黄蜂的猎物偏好是由蜘蛛化学物质介导的这一证明对于我们理解捕食者与猎物之间的相互作用做出了重大贡献。这项研究将通过制定旨在使用泥涂抹巢教授生态概念的课程计划，为小学生和本科生提供教育和研究机会，从而产生更广泛的影响。