George W. Uetz Professor Ph.D., University of Illinois Animal Behavior, Behavioral Ecology, & Arachnology

El Niño Spider Project

             Increases in prey insect abundance during El Niño years have been demonstrated to result in higher density of spider populations, creating conditions favorable to aggregation and social behavior. The recent discovery of aggregations of the colonial web-building spider Metepeira spinipes on the Monterey peninsula in California, linked to the El Niño phenomenon, presents a unique research opportunity to understand the mechanism(s) responsible for group-living in spiders.

            This ongoing project involves collaboration with departmental colleagues Dr. Ron DeBry, Dr. Ken Petren and post-doc Andy Roberts. We are conducting long-term field studies of spider populations, and with Drs. DeBry and Petren are continuing to develop molecular techniques (microsatellite DNA) to analyze genetic similarity among colonies, and genetic relatedness among individuals within colonies. Determination of the role of cyclical environmental factors like El Niño on the genetic structure of these populations may yield valuable insights about the origins and evolution of social behavior in animals.

Monterey, California M. spinipes habitat	M. spinipes colony in Monterey, CA	M. spinipes colony in Monterey, CA

Supported  by the National Science Foundation and the University of Cincinnati Research Council.

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 Research: 1. Wolf Spider Research | 2. Colonial Web-Building Spiders Research | 3. El Niño Influence on Colonial Web-Building Spiders. |  4. Impact of a Ecosystem Disturbance on Spider Populations and Communities