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 Weisspropossal编号：ios-0808434在进化框架内通过蜘蛛捕食者在捕食者中通过蜘蛛黄蜂进行的猎物偏好的化学调解，它们本身就被泥垫大量捕食。不同的泥浆种类优先捕获特定的蜘蛛群，但是这些偏好的基础尚不清楚。蜘蛛网架构被认为是针对WASP捕食的一种防御行为，三维的网络被认为提供了比二维对应物更有效的物理障碍。出乎意料的是，我们的实验最初的结果表明，泥浆黄蜂（Sceliphron Caementarium）并未基于其觅食决策。相反，它使用蜘蛛和 /或其网络上存在的化学提示来识别其猎物。拟议的研究将解决在进化框架内黄蜂对猎物偏好的化学中介。这项工作的结果将提供有关其他泥浆黄蜂是否使用化学提示来识别蜘蛛猎物的见解，以及sceliphron摄入的所有蜘蛛类群是否会具有相似的化学剖面。这项研究还将帮助我们了解蜘蛛家族的化学轮廓的变化是否可能使蜘蛛多样化通过逃避黄蜂捕食。蜘蛛化学物质介导的蜘蛛狩猎黄蜂的猎物偏好的证明是我们对捕食者 - 鸟类相互作用的理解的重要贡献。这项研究将通过为小学和本科生提供教育和研究机会，通过制定旨在使用泥泞的巢穴教授生态概念的课程，从而产生更广泛的影响。