title: Vibration transmission through sheet webs of hobo spiders (Eratigena agrestis) and tangle webs of western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus).
abstract: Web-building spiders construct their own vibratory signaling environments. Web architecture should affect signal design, and vice versa, such that vibratory signals are transmitted with a minimum of attenuation and degradation. However, the web is the medium through which a spider senses both vibratory signals from courting males and cues produced by captured prey. Moreover, webs function not only in vibration transmission, but also in defense from predators and the elements. These multiple functions may impose conflicting selection pressures on web design. We investigated vibration transmission efficiency and accuracy through two web types with contrasting architectures: sheet webs of Eratigena agrestis (Agelenidae) and tangle webs of Latrodectus hesperus (Theridiidae). We measured vibration transmission efficiencies by playing frequency sweeps through webs with a piezoelectric vibrator and a loudspeaker, recording the resulting web vibrations at several locations on each web using a laser Doppler vibrometer. Transmission efficiencies through both web types were highly variable, with within-web variation greater than among-web variation. There was little difference in transmission efficiencies of longitudinal and transverse vibrations. The inconsistent transmission of specific frequencies through webs suggests that parameters other than frequency are most important in allowing these spiders to distinguish between vibrations of prey and courting males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vibert
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada. catherine.elizabeth.scott@gmail.com.|Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada. catherine.elizabeth.scott@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0860-4805
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gries
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001740:Black Widow Spider; D003380:Courtship; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D011897:Random Allocation; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013045:Species Specificity; D013112:Spiders; D014732:Vibration
keywords: Acoustic communication; Araneae; Signal transmission; Spider webs