Sep 23, 2016
This is what a social spider nest looks like. There is a basket shaped basal sheet that is supported by lines attaching to vegetation. Dead leaves accumulate in the nest and act as hiding places for the spiders from predators and heavy rains.
This nest was part of my study during the 2016 summer field season. It is nearly one meter across and contains about 400 spiders! This is considered a medium sized nest.
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Sociality in spiders is extremely rare, but it has evolved several times. This begs the question: why be social? I aim to answer this by using social spiders found in Ecuador. I will determine the benefits and costs of sociality by measuring prey capture rates and parasite loads for four different species with varying levels of sociality. As social beings ourselves, we can understand social behaviour and cooperation by studying these unique spiders.
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