Mh. Persons et Gw. Uetz, FORAGING PATCH RESIDENCE TIME DECISIONS IN WOLF SPIDERS - IS PERCEIVING PREY AS IMPORTANT AS EATING PREY, Ecoscience, 4(1), 1997, pp. 1-5
Many studies have found that prey capture rates significantly affect h
ow long foraging spiders remain in an area. Perceptual information on
prey, even without prey capture, has also been shown to significantly
influence spider foraging patch residence time. However, the values of
each type of information (e.g., perception, capture, handling and ing
estion) in the foraging decision rules have never been compared. This
study examines the value of feeding experience versus perceiving food
in the residence time decisions of wolf spiders. Spiders were exposed
to four experimental treatments: 1) a foraging patch with a dead crick
et to be consumed; 2) a patch with 12 live crickets behind a transpare
nt screen, but no cricket for consumption; 3) a patch with both Live c
rickets behind a screen and a single dead cricket for consumption; and
4) an empty patch serving as a control. Although feeding resulted in
significantly longer patch residence times than the control, the perce
ption of prey was the single most important factor influencing residen
ce time. Results showed no significant difference in residence time be
tween the sensory only treatment and the treatment with both prey cons
umption and the perception of prey. Analysis of residence times after
the spider has fed on a single cricket indicates no significant effect
of the experience of feeding in a patch and subsequent visits to that
patch. These results suggest that potential energy value weighs more
heavily than current or past energy consumed in a patch and that post-
ingestive feedback information is less important than pre-ingestive se
nsory cues.