Substrate-dependent signaling success in the wolf spider, Schizocosa retrorsa

dc.contributor.author	Hebets, Eileen A.
dc.contributor.author	Elias, Damian O.
dc.contributor.author	Mason, Andrew C.
dc.contributor.author	Miller, Gary L.
dc.contributor.author	Stratton, Gail E.
dc.date.accessioned	2008-06-10T13:40:50Z
dc.date.available	2008-06-10T13:40:50Z
dc.date.issued	2008-02-02
dc.date.submitted	03-15-2007
dc.identifier.citation	Hebets, Eileen A. et al. 2008. Substrate-dependent signaling success in the wolf spider, Schizocosa retrorsa. Animal Behaviour,v.75:2,p.605-615	en
dc.identifier.issn	0003-3472
dc.identifier.other	doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.06.021
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10057/1433
dc.description.abstract	Signals used in communication are often hypothesized to be optimally designed for their signalling environment. Here, we explore the importance of signalling substrate on seismic signal efficacy and reproductive behavior in the wolf spider, Schizocosa retrorsa: a species found on multiple signalling substrates (pine litter and/or red clay or sand). In this multimodal signalling species, simultaneous with conspicuous visual displays, males produce percussive seismic signals via an impulse mechanism which tends to excite a substrate evenly across a wide band of frequencies. We first quantified the transmission characteristics of this broadband percussive signal by playing recorded signals back across three naturally occurring substrates, two of which represent substrates upon which S. retrorsa is commonly found: leaf litter, pine litter and red clay (the latter two exemplify their natural habitat). The substrates varied in their transmission characteristics with respect to both attenuation (higher on red clay) and filtering. Next, we compared copulation success, courtship behavior and microhabitat choice among these same substrates. Copulation frequency was higher on the natural substrates of pine litter and red clay as compared with leaf litter. Males took longer to initiate courtship on leaf litter, but once initiated, courtship behavior did not vary across substrates and we were not able to discern any choice with respect to the first, or the most common, substrate chosen. Our results show that while S. retrorsa’s percussive signals may not be matched to the specific properties of any one substrate, copulation success was substrate dependent and we discuss potential explanations for this substrate-dependent signalling success.	en
dc.format.extent	1734365 bytes
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.language.iso	en_US	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier	en
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Animal Behaviour	en
dc.relation.ispartofseries	v.75:2	en
dc.subject	Communication	en
dc.subject	Mate choice	en
dc.subject	Schizocosa retrorsa	en
dc.subject	Seismic signal	en
dc.subject	Signalling environment	en
dc.subject	Signal-substrate	en
dc.title	Substrate-dependent signaling success in the wolf spider, Schizocosa retrorsa	en
dc.type	Article	en
dc.description.version	Peer reviewed

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Gary L. Miller [2]
Research publications of Provost Miller. For his speeches, memos and reports see: Academic Affairs and Research collection in SOAR.

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