Behavioral responses vary with prey species in the social spider, Stegodyphus sarasinorum

Abstract

Predators living in social groups often show consistent interindividual differences in prey capture behavior that may be linked to personality. Though personality predisposes individuals for certain behaviors, responses can also be influenced by context. Studies examining personality-dependent participation in prey capture have largely employed only one prey species, offering the predator no choice. In nature, predators encounter a range of prey species, therefore participation in or leading a prey capture event must also depend on prey attributes (e.g., size and risk). In the social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum, collective prey capture is mediated by personality types as a consequence of which some individuals are consistently more likely to attack. Here, we examined if an individual’s consistency to attack persisted within and between the 2 prey species (honeybees and grasshoppers) and if the same individuals attacked first with both prey species. Our results showed that interindividual differences in attacking persisted within and between the 2 prey species. Spiders showed greater participation in attacking grasshoppers relative to bees. Identities of the first attackers were not the same for bees and grasshoppers. Spiders showed greater consistency over time in attacking bees relative to grasshoppers. Bees attracted fewer attackers than size-matched grasshoppers. These results suggest that greater task specialization may be necessary to successfully subdue bees. Spiders handled bees more cautiously, which is likely to explain the observed plasticity in attacking the 2 prey species. Thus, participation in prey capture in social spiders is influenced by the attributes of prey species.

Long‐Term Behavioural Syndrome in Subadult Indian Social Spiders But Not Over the Short‐Term or in Juveniles

“…Therefore, boldness and aggression must be negatively correlated in order to maximize individual and collective feeding opportunities, because bold individuals that initiate prey capture must be less aggressive and cautious while handling prey. Inappropriately aggressive behaviours towards risky prey can be fatal for individuals that initiate attacks and subdue prey (Parthasarathy & Somanathan, 2019). The absence of a boldness‐aggression syndrome in juveniles suggests that personality‐mediated participation in prey capture is likely to manifest only during later developmental stages with learning, experience and proficiency, but this is an interesting proposition worthy of investigation in future studies.…”

“…Yet they do not have morphological castes, reproductive division of labour or conspicuous dominance hierarchies (Avilés, 1997; Lubin & Bilde, 2007). However, in some social spider species, some individuals are consistently more likely to attack prey than others, suggesting some degree of task differentiation (Beleyur et al, 2015; Parthasarathy & Somanathan, 2019; Settepani et al, 2013). This begs the important question of what determines task participation in social spiders.…”

“…However, participation in prey capture in social spiders has been shown to be influenced by hunger (Beleyur et al, 2015) and the specific attributes of the prey species (i.e. risky vs. harmless; Parthasarathy & Somanathan, 2019), with such plasticity perhaps working against the role of personality types in determining task participation. Moreover, repeatability of personality traits in these spiders is often measured across relatively short durations (e.g.…”

“…However, participation in prey capture is also likely influenced by the attributes of the prey itself. Social spiders handle and subdue potentially dangerous prey, such as honeybees, with greater care when compared with prey, such as grasshoppers, that pose little or no risk (Parthasarathy & Somanathan, 2019). In this context, if a positive boldness‐aggression syndrome exists, then bold individuals may be inappropriately aggressive, while attacking risky and aggressive prey, and such individuals may be exposed to greater risks of mortality over time.…”