Meeting Abstract
The Red Queen hypothesis embodies one of the most prevalent interactions among predator-prey species, in that these species are constantly evolving new adaptations in an ever-evolving ‘arms race.’ Here, we examined the anti-predator diving behavior of two species of wolf spiders, the predatory Rabidosa santrita, and its prey, Pardosa valens. When attacked, P. valens will dive under the water, creating an air bubble around its abdomen. However, R. santrita has also evolved the ability to perform this behavior. The objectives of this study were to determine if there are any differences in the ability of each species of wolf spider to resuscitate themselves after being submerged, as well as to determine any differences in submersion ability between males and females within species. Spiders of each species and gender were submerged in centrifuge tubes to force them to remain submerged. After one hour, spiders were placed dorsal side down in plastic containers. The time that spiders took to right themselves was recorded. Preliminary analysis indicates that female P. valens righted themselves significantly faster than males of the same species, as well as male and female R. santrita. All preserved spiders were photographed using digital microscopy to measure several variables that may have affected the size of their air bubbles: leg hair density, average angle of leg hairs, and abdomen hair density. Preliminary analysis indicates that P. valens have a significantly higher density and angle of leg hairs than R. santrita. Thus, P. valens may resuscitate faster after submersion due to the ability to trap a proportionally larger air supply.
