The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders
Spiders and their webs are often used as model organisms to study a wide range of behaviours. However, these behavioural studies are often carried out in the laboratory, and the few field studies usually result in large amounts of video footage and subsequent labour-intensive data analysis. Thus, we...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/4/370 |
| _version_ | 1797434522619346944 |
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| author | Mollie S. Davies Thomas Hesselberg |
| author_facet | Mollie S. Davies Thomas Hesselberg |
| author_sort | Mollie S. Davies |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Spiders and their webs are often used as model organisms to study a wide range of behaviours. However, these behavioural studies are often carried out in the laboratory, and the few field studies usually result in large amounts of video footage and subsequent labour-intensive data analysis. Thus, we aimed to devise a cost- and time-effective method for studying the behaviour of spiders in the field, using the now almost forgotten method of stimulating webs with tuning forks. Our study looked at the viability of using 256 Hz and 440 Hz tuning forks to stimulate, anti-predatory and predatory responses in the orb web spider <i>Metellina segmentata</i>, respectively. To assess the consistency of the behaviours produced, we compared these to direct mechanical stimulation with a metal wire. The results suggest that the tuning forks produce relatively consistent behaviours within and between two years in contrast to the metal wire. We furthermore found no significant effects of spider length or web area on spider reaction times. However, we found significant differences in reaction times between escape and prey capture behaviours, and between tuning forks and the wire. Thus, we demonstrated the potential of tuning forks to rapidly generate quantitative data in a field setting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:33:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d23177485bcc4ba795a65248349c3b38 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:33:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-d23177485bcc4ba795a65248349c3b382023-12-01T21:05:57ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502022-04-0113437010.3390/insects13040370The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web SpidersMollie S. Davies0Thomas Hesselberg1Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Headington Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UKDepartment of Biological and Medical Sciences, Headington Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UKSpiders and their webs are often used as model organisms to study a wide range of behaviours. However, these behavioural studies are often carried out in the laboratory, and the few field studies usually result in large amounts of video footage and subsequent labour-intensive data analysis. Thus, we aimed to devise a cost- and time-effective method for studying the behaviour of spiders in the field, using the now almost forgotten method of stimulating webs with tuning forks. Our study looked at the viability of using 256 Hz and 440 Hz tuning forks to stimulate, anti-predatory and predatory responses in the orb web spider <i>Metellina segmentata</i>, respectively. To assess the consistency of the behaviours produced, we compared these to direct mechanical stimulation with a metal wire. The results suggest that the tuning forks produce relatively consistent behaviours within and between two years in contrast to the metal wire. We furthermore found no significant effects of spider length or web area on spider reaction times. However, we found significant differences in reaction times between escape and prey capture behaviours, and between tuning forks and the wire. Thus, we demonstrated the potential of tuning forks to rapidly generate quantitative data in a field setting.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/4/370prey capture behaviouranti-predatory behaviourtetragnathaethogramvibration |
| spellingShingle | Mollie S. Davies Thomas Hesselberg The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders Insects prey capture behaviour anti-predatory behaviour tetragnatha ethogram vibration |
| title | The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders |
| title_full | The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders |
| title_short | The Use of Tuning Forks for Studying Behavioural Responses in Orb Web Spiders |
| title_sort | use of tuning forks for studying behavioural responses in orb web spiders |
| topic | prey capture behaviour anti-predatory behaviour tetragnatha ethogram vibration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/4/370 |
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