Population Structure, Seasonality, and Habitat Use by the Green Lynx
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American Arachnological Society Population Structure, Seasonality, and Habitat Use by the Green Lynx Spider Peucetia viridans (Oxyopidae) Inhabiting Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Euphorbiaceae) Author(s): Angélica M. Arango, Victor Rico-Gray, Victor Parra-Tabla Source: Journal of Arachnology, Vol. 28, No. 2 (2000), pp. 185-194 Published by: American Arachnological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3706021 . Accessed: 25/09/2011 12:44 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Arachnological Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Arachnology. http://www.jstor.org 2000. The Journal of Arachnology 28:185-194 POPULATION STRUCTURE, SEASONALITY, AND HABITAT USE BY THE GREEN LYNX SPIDER PEUCETIA VIRIDANS (OXYOPIDAE) INHABITING CNIDOSCOLUS ACONITIFOLIUS (EUPHORBIACEAE) Angelica M. Arango and Victor Rico-Gray: Departamento de Ecologia Vegetal, Instituto de Ecologia, A.C.; Apdo. 63; Xalapa, VER 91000 Mexico Victor Parra-Tabla: Departamento de Ecologia, F.M.V.Z. Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan; Apdo. 4-116; Merida (Itzimna) YUC 97000 Mexico ABSTRACT. For one year we studied the habitat use of Peucetia viridans living on Cnidoscolus acon- itifolius, in a pasture land in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Highest spider density was recorded in August (total 118, adults 77), and lowest in May (total 7, adults 2). Spider density was significantly higher in isolated plants and lower in plants in a patch. Sex ratio (9:6) varied from 1:1.5 in April, to 1:1 in May, and to 1:0.1 in September. The dominant instar (both sexes) changed during the study. Throughout the study more spiders were recorded in 'repose' than performing any other activity. Foraging and feeding were more intense between July and September, when their prey, flower visitors, were more abundant. The number of spiders on plants varied spatially and temporally due to the combined effects of distance of the individual plant to the nearby forest, monthly precipitation, plant height, and number of panicles in anthesis. Forty-eight percent of the spiders were found living on plants with 20-30 panicles in anthesis (2% of the plant population). Most of the spiders (except for adult females) were found either below or above leaves. There were no significant differences in the distribution of most stadia respective to plant height. Positive significant correlations were found between the number of spiders and the abundance of floral visitors when the data were compared shifted-back one month, and between the number of spiders and the number of panicles in bloom when the data were compared shifted-back two months. When the abundance of spiders, floral visitors and number of panicles in bloom were correlated to monthly precip? itation, we found a positive significant correlation for spider abundance when the data were compared shifted-back three months, a significant negative correlation for floral visitors when the data were compared shifted-back two months, and a nonsignificant correlation for the number of panicles in bloom, although both (panicles and floral visitors) peaked in May. Keywords: Peucetia viridans, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, population structure, seasonality Animals which are mobile during a period quality environmental characteristics (e.g., ab? of their life actively select a site for nesting, sence of enemies and availability of food and feeding and reproduction. The latter may be shelter). Object organization in space is used influenced by parental habitat occupation, to locate such habitats (McCoy & Bell 1991). high density of competitors, or habitat avail? Environmental characteristics exert a strong ability at certain times of the year. The new influence on habitat selection in spiders (Uetz site has to provide enough food, adequate 1991). For example, spiders depend on the nesting conditions, and protection against en- structure of the environment because: (1) they emies and adverse weather conditions. Food need attachment sites for their webs, and (2) resources are patchily distributed for most an? their sensory organs are based on the recog? imals, regulating their feeding behavior, pop? nition of tactile vibrations of the substrate ulation dynamics, fitness and ultimately their (Rovner & Barth 1981; Uetz & Stratton evolution (Bronstein 1995). Thus, the fitness 1982). Spider populations show certain asso? of an animal should be directly influenced by ciations between their structure and the het? its ability to find a suitable habitat, which is erogeneity and/or structural complexity of the based on an innate preference for certain high- plant community (Chew 1961; Riechert & 185 186 THE JOURNAL OF ARACHNOLOGY Reeder 1970). Certain spiders have highly sent in one panicle) and has no specific specific associations with plants. Thus their pollinators (Carbajal-Rodriguez 1998). In the abundance and richness depend directly on the study site, C aconitifolius is distributed in availability of specific plant species. The as? clumps of up to 12 individuals, but solitary sociation between spiders and plant commu? individuals are common. nity structure suggests stratification of species The green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) or habitat partitioning, which should decrease is a cursorial hunting spider, foraging by day interspecific competition. Spiders select sites and night on a wide variety of prey, common? based on the level of protection against ex? ly living on wild flowers, grasses, low shrubs treme temperatures and the destruction of or weeds (Whitcomb & Eason 1967; Nyffeler webs and nests, maximizing foraging time on et al. 1987a, b, 1992; Weems & Whitcomb the web. Similarly, they use environmental el? 1977; Simon 1980; Van Niekerk & Dippe- ements as indicators of prey availability, e.g., naar-Schoeman 1994; Whitcomb et al. 1966). plant flowering (Morse 1984; Pollard et al. It is the dominant polyphagous predatory ar? 1995). thropod in certain systems. Its diet includes Our field observations in the Yucatan Pen- several insect orders, spiders (including its insula, Mexico, have shown a close associa? own species), and at times it preys on indi? tion between the green lynx spider (Peucetia viduals up to 2.5 times larger than itself (Nyf? viridans Hentz, Oxyopidae) and Cnidoscolus feler et al. 1988a, 1992). In Texas and Florida, aconitifolius (Mill.) I.M. Johnstone (Euphor- P. viridans is frequently associated with Cro- biaceae). However, the characteristics that de? ton capitatus (Euphorbiaceae), and with relat? termine this habitat selection are largely un? ed genera like Gossypium (Malvaceae) and known. The purpose of this research was to Helianthus (Asteraceae), where it plays an im? describe quantitatively this spider-plant inter? portant role as predator of noxious fauna action, and to explain the physical and spatial (Randall 1982; Simpson 1995). Peucetia vir? characteristics of the habitat used by the spi? idans is considered an annual univoltine spe? der. In particular, we addressed the following cies, with a reproductive season during the questions: (1) Which plant parts does the spi? summer. Oviposition (25-600 eggs) is during der use more frequently? (2) Which plant the autumn, hatching and dispersal of juve? characteristics determine the presence of the niles by ballooning takes place during the spider? (3) Are all the stages in the life cycle winter; and growth of juveniles takes place in of the spider accomplished on C. aconitifol? spring (Exline & Whitcomb 1965; Whitcomb ius! (4) How does the population of the spider & Eason 1965). vary through time? and (5) Is there synchrony Sampling design and statistics.?Field ob? between the flowering time of the plant and servations were made between April and Sep? the life cycle of the spider? tember of 1997 during the last 10 days of each month; a typical day started at 0800 h and METHODS finished at 1300 h. In the first visit we marked = Study site and organisms.?Field work all Cnidoscolus aconitifolius individuals (n was conducted in a 13,000 m2 grassland 183) in the sampling site. For each plant we owned by Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, recorded height, cover (see below), number of located 15.5 km south of Merida, Yucatan, panicles in anthesis, distance to the forested Mexico (20?58'N, 89?37'W, elevation 9 m), area, and their aggregation pattern (i.e., which is surrounded on three sides by grass? whether isolated or in a patch, see below). To land, and on one by tropical lowland dry for? estimate plant cover, we used the formula for = est (canopy height is ca. 15 m). an ellipse (C 0.25itDlD1, where Dx and D2 The genus Cnidoscolus is characterized by are two perpendicular diameters crossing the the presence of urticant compounds which center of the plant) rather than a circle, be? contribute to plant defense against herbivores cause C. aconitifolius shrubs are quite irreg- (Harborne & Turner 1984). Cnidoscolus acon? ular and fit better an oval shape. A plant was itifolius has extrafloral nectaries which are considered in a patch when its leaves over- visited by ants, flies, bees and wasps. The in? lapped with another individual and/or the dis? florescence is a panicle with feminine and her- tance between the base of their stems was no maphroditic flowers (both flowers may be pre- more than 40 cm; if these parameters were not ARANGO ET AL.?PEUCETIA VIRIDANS: PHENOLOGY AND HABITAT USE 187 met the plant was considered as solitary. The the spider (abundance and instar-structure per distance to the forested area was considered month), and the precipitation pattern of the important because (1) it is probably the source study site.