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| Author(s): |
Yuri Fanchini Messas
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia |
| Defense date: | 2014-01-29 |
| Examining board members: |
João Vasconcellos Neto;
Vanessa Stefani Sul Moreira;
Thiago Gonçalves Souza
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| Advisor: | Marcelo Oliveira Gonzaga; João Vasconcellos Neto |
| Abstract | |
Spiders live in narrowly defined environments, limited by physical conditions such as temperature, humidity, winds and light intensity; and also by biological factors such as vegetation type, prey availability, competitors and natural enemies. Araneidae is the principal family of orb-weaver spiders. The spider of the present study, Eustala perfida, occurs preferentially within the forest, along tree trunks, building its web in regions where there are concavities on the trunk. It has cryptic coloration similar to mosses and lichens, adaptation that presents a dual advantage, because the spiders are hardly perceived by their prey and also their predators. The lack of studies of this genus and its natural histories, as well as the ecological role that it plays, motivated the development of this project, which was conducted at Serra do Japi ¿ Jundiaí (SP) and aims to elucidate aspects of the natural history of Eustala perfida, such as spatial distribution, substrate specificity, phenology, population fluctuation, characterization of the web, prey diversity and natural enemies. Eustala perfida occurred at altitudes ranging from 850 to 1294 m, being significantly more abundant in intermediate altitudes. All individuals were found within the forest, with the highest occurrence in trunks containing mosses, lichens and concavities, which serve as attachment points for the construction of the web. The species was found more frequently on trees with diameters larger than 30 cm and building their webs in heights up to 1.5 m. The population dynamics of Eustala perfida is well defined, showing successive peaks of different developmental stages starting in the warm months of the year (January), when individuals begin to hatch. The population seems to have only one reproductive cycle throughout the year, with peaks in all phases of phenological development. There was a higher frequency of potential prey up to 1 mm in length, and the most sampled groups were Diptera and Hymenoptera. There were differences in the size frequencies of potential and predated prey of E. perfida, and prey with more than 1 mm in length were predated more than expected. Eustala perfida presented dynamic and phenology similar to Misumenops argenteus (Thomisidae). In these two species, the life cycle and phenology seem to set seasons and prey availability. Seven individuals of E. perfida were found parasited by Acrotaphus sp. (Pimplinae: Icheneumonidae) larvae. This is the third case of behavioral manipulation of spiders on your web construction involving this genus of wasp (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/15457-0 - Natural History and Population Ecology of Eustala perfida Mello-Leitão, 1947 (Araneae, Araneidae) in Serra do Japi, Jundiaí - SP |
| Grantee: | Yuri Fanchini Messas |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |