Diet influences mate choice selectivity in adult female wolf spiders

Temporal patterns of nutrition dependence in secondary sexual traits and their varying impacts on male mating success

“…Hebets et al, 2008;Rosenthal & Hebets, 2012;Shamble et al, 2009;Uetz et al, 2002;see Introduction). The dark leg coloration in wolf spiders is due to both the deposition of pigment granules in the hypodermis tissue directly under the cuticle (Holl, 1987;Seligy, 1972) and the presence of dark tibial brushes.…”

“…Complex courtship displays often comprise pigmented legs that are waved or tapped to produce dynamic visual displays. The foreleg pigmentation is absent prior to a male's maturation and, in some species, is influenced by juvenile diet (Schizocosa ocreata: Hebets, Wesson, & Shamble, 2008;Uetz et al, 2002;Schizocosa uetzi: Shamble, Wilgers, Swoboda, & Hebets, 2009;Schizocosa floridana: Rosenthal & Hebets, 2012). In addition to foreleg pigmentation, males also produce a substrate-transmitted acoustic "song," which is usually both necessary and sufficient to elicit copulations (for review, see Hebets et al, 2013; but see Stafstrom & Hebets, 2013).…”

Multimodal courtship efficacy of Schizocosa retrorsa wolf spiders: implications of an additional signal modality

“…All spiders were examined every 2 days for molts in order to accurately estimate the date of their final maturation molt. In females, we manipulated diet in order to examine whether female choice varies with foraging history because female diet has been previously shown to influence mate choice in another Schizocosa wolf spider (Hebets, Wesson, and Shamble 2008). In males, we manipulated diet in order to generate variation in male body condition to examine if and how male body condition influences female mate choice.…”

“…Male Schizocosa courtship always includes seismic components (substratum-coupled stridulation, tremulation, or drumming) with some species also incorporating visual components (leg waving, leg arching, and body bouncing) (Stratton 2005). The visual components have been shown to be condition-dependent in S. ocreata and S. uetzi Hebets, Wesson, and Shamble 2008;Shamble et al 2009), suggesting that they are at least partially under content-based selection. Historically, investigations of Schizocosa courtship have examined the efficacy of displays by assessing female responses to signal components in isolation.…”

A dual function of white coloration in a nocturnal spider Dolomedes raptor (Araneae: Pisauridae)

“…Related studies in spiders, however, have rarely been reported. Hebets, Wesson, and Shamble (2008) found in Schizocosa wolf spiders that males receiving a high-quality diet matured more quickly and were significantly larger as adults than those receiving a lowquality diet, and high-quality diet males had larger sexual traits and were more successful in courting females than low-quality diet males. Yet, it is unknown whether, in nocturnal organisms, diet would influence physical condition and potential sexual traits.…”