Sex-specific developmental trajectories in an extremely sexually size dimorphic spider

Šet, Janko; Turk, Eva; Golobinek, Rok; Lokovšek, Tjaša; Gregorič, Matjaž; Lebrón, Shakira Guaní Quiñones; Kuntner, Matjaž; Haddad, Charles R.; Čandek, Klemen; Kralj‐Fišer, Simona

doi:10.1007/s00114-021-01754-w

Cited by 4 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Since chelicerates is an ancestral sister group among arthropods, it is an important group for considering the evolutionary diversity of sex determination and sexual differentiation mechanisms including arthropods and vertebrates. Among chelicerates, spiders display a particularly clear morphological sexual dimorphism, females are 3-14 times larger than males and, in some species, females are 75.2 times heavier than males [112,113]. In addition, several species of males, such as the banksia peacock spider, show a brilliant appearance like a peacock male and perform the mating dances [114,115].…”

Section: Sex Determination and Differentiation In Cheliceratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval Development of Non-Insect Arthropods: Metamorphosis and Sexual Differentiation

Toyota¹,

Sakae²,

Iguchi³

2023

Arthropods - New Advances and Perspectives

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In insects, metamorphosis is one of the most important research topics. Their drastic morphological and physiological changes from larvae to pupae, and then to adults, have fascinated many people. These changing life history patterns are tightly regulated by two endocrine systems, the ecdysteroids (molting hormones) and the juvenile hormones. Metamorphosis is also the most universal phenomenon in non-insect arthropods (especially crustaceans). Additionally, as dwarf males (e.g., barnacle crustaceans) show distinct sexual dimorphism during the larval developmental stage, larval development and sexual differentiation are also intimately associated. Our knowledge of endocrinology and gene cascades underlying metamorphosis and sexual differentiation in non-insect arthropods is rudimentary at best and relies heavily on well-studied insect models. Advances in newly developed applications, omics technologies and gene-targeting, are expected to lead to explorative molecular studies that reveal components and pathways unique to non-insect arthropods. This chapter reconciles known components of metamorphosis and sexual differentiation in non-insect arthropods and reflects on our findings in insects to outline future research.

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Section: Sex Determination and Differentiation In Cheliceratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval Development of Non-Insect Arthropods: Metamorphosis and Sexual Differentiation

Toyota¹,

Sakae²,

Iguchi³

2023

Arthropods - New Advances and Perspectives

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show abstract

“…We first evaluated whether the day of the year when spiderlings hatched affected their adult body size, because adult body size of many spiders is influenced by seasonal environmental factors [35][36][37]. We were concerned that unaccounted seasonal effects across the six years of rearing, but common to concurrently hatching siblings, might be confounded with (other) maternal effects.…”

Section: Adult Body Size Varies With Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the laboratory, we mated spiders randomly but avoided full-or half-sib matings. Mating in N. cruentata usually involves individuals hatched at different times (of different age) because of a much shorter developmental time, and thus generation time, of males than females [35].…”

Section: Study Population Mating Design Rearing and Maternal Food Tre...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We carefully placed each predominantly first-laid egg sac (for six females we also used the second-laid egg sac due to low survival from the first egg sac) into a 200 ml vial with foam cover, which we sprayed twice a week until hatching. In many species, newly hatched spiderlings remain aggregated before dispersal [59], which appeared crucial for survival in Nephilingis [35]. After two weeks of communal rearing (which may have introduced common environmental effects among siblings; see below), were randomly took 20 spiderlings from each full-sib family and transferred them to single-rearing cups, where we monitored each individual five times per week for moults.…”

Section: Study Population Mating Design Rearing and Maternal Food Tre...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, we examined sex-specific adult body size variation in the African hermit spider, Nephilingis cruentata , which expresses an extremely female-biased SSD [34, 35]. We reared spiders for up to eight generations under standardized laboratory conditions, measured 2,540 pedigreed individuals, and tested, using quantitative genetic methods, whether the relative contributions by direct genetic and maternal effects to adult body mass variation differed between sexes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual conflict mitigation via sex-specific trait architecture

Kralj‐Fišer

Kuntner

Debes

2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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Sexual dimorphism — the sex-specific trait expression — may emerge when selection favours different optima for the same trait between sexes, i.e., under antagonistic selection. Intra-locus sexual conflict exists when the sexually dimorphic trait under antagonistic selection is based on genes shared between sexes. A common assumption for sexual-size dimorphism (SSD) is that its presence indicates resolved sexual conflict, but how current sex-specific evolution proceeds under sexual dimorphism remains enigmatic. We investigated whether a sex-specific architecture of adult body size explains sexual conflict resolution under extreme SSD in the African hermit spider, Nephilingis cruentata, where adult female body size greatly exceeds that of males. Specifically, we estimated the sex-specific importance of genetic and maternal effects on adult body size among individuals that we laboratory-reared for up to eight generations. Quantitative genetic model estimates indicated that size variation in females is to a larger extent explained by direct genetic effects than by maternal effects, but in males to a larger extent by maternal than by genetic effects. We conclude that this sex-specific body-size architecture enables body-size evolution to proceed much more independently than under a common architecture to both sexes, thereby mitigating sexual conflict under SSD.

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Widow spiders alter web architecture and attractiveness in response to same-sex competition for prey and mates, and predation risk

Fischer,

Fernando,

Preston

et al. 2023

Commun Biol

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Female-female competition in animals has rarely been studied. Responses of females that compete context-dependently for mates and prey, and seek safety from predators, are ideally studied with web-building spiders. Cobwebs possess unique sections for prey capture and safety, which can be quantified. We worked with Steaoda grossa females because their pheromone is known, and adjustments in response to mate competition could be measured. Females exposed to synthetic sex pheromone adjusted their webs, indicating a perception of intra-sexual competition via their sex pheromone. When females sequentially built their webs in settings of low and high intra-sexual competition, they adjusted their webs to increase prey capture and lower predation risk. In settings with strong mate competition, females deposited more contact pheromone components on their webs and accelerated their breakdown to mate-attractant pheromone components, essentially increasing their webs’ attractiveness. We show that females respond to sexual, social and natural selection pressures originating from intra-sexual competition.

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Sex-specific developmental trajectories in an extremely sexually size dimorphic spider

Cited by 4 publications

References 59 publications

Larval Development of Non-Insect Arthropods: Metamorphosis and Sexual Differentiation

Larval Development of Non-Insect Arthropods: Metamorphosis and Sexual Differentiation

Sexual conflict mitigation via sex-specific trait architecture

Widow spiders alter web architecture and attractiveness in response to same-sex competition for prey and mates, and predation risk

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