Predator–prey coevolution: Australian native bees avoid their spider predators

Heiling, Astrid M.; Herberstein, Marie E.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0138

Cited by 65 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…In contrast to European honeybees, stingless native Australian bees (Australoplebia australis) are not deceived by white T. spectabilis (Heiling and Herberstein, 2004b). They can detect white spiders on flowers and avoid them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colouration in crab spiders: substrate choice and prey attraction

Heiling

Chittka

Chen

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Australian crab spiders Thomisus spectabilis ambush pollinating insects, such as honeybees (Apis mellifera) on flowers, and can change their body colour between yellow and white. It is traditionally assumed that the spiders change their colour to match the flower colour, thus rendering them cryptic to insect prey. Here, we test this assumption combining state-of-the-art knowledge of bee vision and behavioural experiments. In the field, yellow spiders are only found on yellow daisies(Chrysanthemum frutescens), whereas white spiders are found on yellow and white daisies. These field patterns were confirmed in the laboratory. When given the choice between white and yellow daisies, yellow spiders preferred yellow daisies, whereas white spiders showed only a slight but non-significant preference for white flowers. Thus, T. spectabilis select background colours according to their own body colour. When viewed from a distance, bees use an achromatic signal produced by their green receptors for target detection. Through this visual channel, white spiders on white flowers, and yellow spiders on yellow flowers are virtually undetectable. From a closer distance of a few centimetres, when bees evaluate colour contrast, the combination of spider colour against different flower backgrounds affected the response of honeybees, but not in ways predicted by a classical crypsis/conspicuousness interpretation. Yellow spiders on yellow flowers are not perfectly matched when interpreted through the colour vision of a honeybee. Nevertheless, honeybees showed indifference to the presence of a spider, equally landing on vacant or spider-occupied flowers. Likewise, white spiders are poorly hidden on white flowers, as white spiders reflect ultraviolet light strongly, while white flowers do not. Surprisingly, bees are attracted to this contrast, and significantly more honeybees preferred white flowers occupied by white spiders. White spiders on yellow flowers produce the highest colour contrast and bees again preferred spider-occupied flowers. Yellow spiders on white flowers were the only pairing where bees rejected spider-occupied flowers, especially in cases where the contrast between the two was relatively strong. Thus, T. spectabilis select flower colours adaptively in a way that deceives honeybees, or at least does not deter them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colouration in crab spiders: substrate choice and prey attraction

Heiling

Chittka

Chen

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Particularly in solitary bees, there is a very tight link between foraging efficiency, predator avoidance and fitness [13]. As a result, bees have evolved predator-avoidance strategies [3,[14][15][16][17][18] and respond to the trade-off between minimizing predation risk and maximizing foraging efficiency [19]. Furthermore, it is known that chemical information plays an important role in risk assessment: the response of bees to ambushing crab spiders changes when chemical cues are removed [20], and social bees release alarm pheromones to mark flowers where a predator is hidden [14,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing is believing: information content and behavioural response to visual and chemical cues

Gonzálvez

Rodríguez‐Gironés

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Predator avoidance and foraging often pose conflicting demands. Animals can decrease mortality risk searching for predators, but searching decreases foraging time and hence intake. We used this principle to investigate how prey should use information to detect, assess and respond to predation risk from an optimal foraging perspective. A mathematical model showed that solitary bees should increase flower examination time in response to predator cues and that the rate of false alarms should be negatively correlated with the relative value of the flower explored. The predatory ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, and the harmless ant, Polyrhachis dives, differ in the profile of volatiles they emit and in their visual appearance. As predicted, the solitary bee Nomia strigata spent more time examining virgin flowers in presence of predator cues than in their absence. Furthermore, the proportion of flowers rejected decreased from morning to noon, as the relative value of virgin flowers increased. In addition, bees responded differently to visual and chemical cues. While chemical cues induced bees to search around flowers, bees detecting visual cues hovered in front of them. These strategies may allow prey to identify the nature of visual cues and to locate the source of chemical cues.

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“…Different species of pollinators respond differently to the presence of crab spiders (Brechbühl et al, 2009;Brechbühl et al, 2010) and some prey species are attracted to the high UV contrast (Heiling and Herberstein, 2004;Heiling et al, 2003;Llandres et al, 2011). In this scenario, one would expect that in 2008 the most common prey were those attracted to conspicuous UV-bright spiders, but the most common prey in 2009 were not.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this scenario, one would expect that in 2008 the most common prey were those attracted to conspicuous UV-bright spiders, but the most common prey in 2009 were not. For example, honeybees are attracted and land more frequently on flowers harbouring UV-bright F. M. Gawryszewski, A. L. Llandres and M. E. Herberstein spiders (Herberstein et al, 2009), but Australian native bees are less likely to land on such flowers (Heiling and Herberstein, 2004;Llandres et al, 2011, the most common prey were honeybees, the best strategy would be to adopt a high UVreflectance strategy, whereas if in 2009 the most common prey were native bees, the most efficient strategy would be to reduce conspicuousness. In our experiment on the effect of background colouration and food intake on spider colouration, we found that the spiders have the ability to change colour independently of food intake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reflectance spectra of the colour containers are shown in supplementary material Fig.S1. The experiment was conducted in a glasshouse with controlled temperature (night: 16°C; day: 25°C; 12h:12h light:dark cycle) and perspex panels, which allowed the passage of all wavelengths between 300 and 700nm (Heiling and Herberstein, 2004).…”

Section: Effect Of Spider Condition and Background Colouration On Spimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between colouration and body condition in a crab spider that lures pollinators

Gawryszewski

Llandres

Herberstein

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Sit-and-wait predators have evolved several traits that increase the probability of encountering prey, including lures that attract prey. Although most crab spiders (Thomisidae) are known by their ability to change colour in order to match the background, a few use a different strategy. They are UV-reflective, creating a colour contrast against UV-absorbing flowers that is attractive for pollinators. The nature of the relationship between colour contrast and foraging success is unknown, as is how spiders trade off the potential costs and benefits of strong colour contrast. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between spider colouration, foraging success and background colouration in a crab spider species known to lure pollinators via UV reflectance (Thomisus spectabilis). Field data revealed that spider body condition - a proxy of past foraging success - is positively related to overall colour contrast. We experimentally tested the effect of satiation and background colour on spider colour change. Throughout the experiment, spiders changed their colour contrast regardless of their food intake, suggesting that colour contrast and the UV component contributing to overall contrast are not caused by spider condition. Although spiders responded to different backgrounds by subtly changing their body colour, this did not result in colour matching. We believe that the observed variation in colour contrast and hence conspicuousness in the field, coupled with the spiders' reaction to our manipulation, could be the result of plasticity in response to prey. (Résumé d'auteur

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Predator–prey coevolution: Australian native bees avoid their spider predators

Cited by 65 publications

References 18 publications

Colouration in crab spiders: substrate choice and prey attraction

Colouration in crab spiders: substrate choice and prey attraction

Seeing is believing: information content and behavioural response to visual and chemical cues

Relationship between colouration and body condition in a crab spider that lures pollinators

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