Materials:
35mm Camera
Multitudes of camera film
Mist bottle
Metric measuring device
Spider collecting containers
Reference material on spiders
Magnifying glass
Survey Area: The horseshoe bushes out side of Peabody and Shriver Center on Miami University's Oxford Campus
We did some general research on spiders. (i.e. their basic tendencies and lifestyles.) Such research was done on the Inter net, and at Brill Library. We the constructed a data sheet where we recorded the species of spider, location of spider on web, amount of prey on web, location of prey on web, location of web on bush, distance to nearest web, and location of study area. We also constructed a data sheet that consisted of a scaled grid which divided up the bushes that we studied.
The first thing that we had to do was to collect the necessary materials. We then collected multiple spiders from the surveyed area to determine if the spiders on the bush are all the same species. Collect these spiders into individual collecting containers for further study. After then taking a picture of each individual species of spider, we determined the species of each spider collected by comparing the spider with the reference material. On average, we attempted to study the species between six and eight hours a week. The following steps were focused on collecting data: taking pictures of the webs using the camera and mist bottle, measuring the sizes of species, measuring the location of the web in relation to the other webs on the bush, the orientation of the web (diameter, shape, size, height, length), number of prey caught in web in each study session of the species' web, location of spider in relation to web, grid off the bush so the movement of the spiders on the bush can be tracked, and to make a map of this grid and the location of the spiders on a sheet of paper so comparisons can be to the new locations of the spiders at the end of the lab. The seventh step that took place was to once a week we will destroy all the webs on the bush so we can determine the rate at which a spider rebuilds its web. Close attention will also be paid to the number of returning spiders in relation to the previous number of spiders, and the location of the new spider webs. Lastly, we'll analyze data and come to conclusions. Record conclusion and data.
In our quest for enhanced knowledge dealing with spider tendencies, and to broaden our study area, we are soliciting the aid of our peers in our Natural Systems Seminar. We will have the class members actively participate in the collection of spider data. Following a brief introduction to spiders we will lead an expedition to Shriver Center, where we will demonstrate data collecting procedures to the class. Each lab group will be designated a specific area to study. Using the data sheet and record sheet provided in this lab, the lab groups will collect information about each individual study area. We will remain in the area in order to answer any questions, should they arise. Upon completion of study the lab groups will destroy the webs, while paying particular attention to not killing the spider. Prior to the next seminar each lab group must return to their designated study area to see if any webs have reformed. If so they must chart them on their record sheet in a different color. At the beginning of the next seminar each lab group must turn in to us a completed data sheet and record sheet. This data will then be complied with the data previously acquired by our lab group and presented with our final lab report.
Entering this lab we had many questions regarding spiders and their tendencies. Do certain spiders tend to live in communities? Is there only one type of spider on the bushes outside of Peabody Hall and Shriver Center.Throughout this lab we have proven and disproved many of our original hypotheses. When examining our final data we found that our original hypothesis, "do spiders live in communities or in competition", was unable to be either proven or disproved. The information we were able to gather was not able to substantially prove that our spiders lived in a community or individually. However we were able to discover from our data that the spiders we studied do exhibit tendencies that can be predicted.
Throughout our study of spiders we found that certain relationships such as the closeness of webs to the location of spiders, the distance between the webs to the placement on the bush, and the amount of prey to the location of the web on the bush have no significant differences. The fact that we found these relationships to have no significant differences nullifies our hypothesis that spiders live in competition or in communities.
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However, we were able to find that when spiders were located in the center of the web, there tended to be less prey than when the spider was located on the edge of the web. This did raise a question, "could the spider at the center of the web have just eaten?" This question would have to be examined ion a later study of the Grass Root and Bowl and Doily spiders.
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Even though we could find no significant difference in the average distance between webs at both Peabody and Shriver, there was a wide range of values. This raises the question of human error. We had assigned specific bushes outside of Shriver for the class to study. While interpreting the classes data we found that the range of answers we received was much larger than the data we collected ourselves.
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Another interesting fact we discovered while analyzing our data was that there was no significant difference in the distance between the webs whether they were located on the sides or the top of the bushes studied. Moreover, it can be seen that there is a wide range of values for Shriver Center, which can also be attributed to the chance of human error.
In conclusion we have found many interesting things about spiders that we had not planned to find when beginning this lab. Such as the relationship between the spiders location on the web and the amount of prey, the differences between the range of distances between webs in relation to possible human error, and the relationship of the webs location to the distance to the nearest web. These discoveries could provide a medium in which to study these Bowl and Doily and Grass Root Spiders again.
When conducting this lab again or a lab similar to this one we would suggest developing a rigid schedule for the observation of spiders. Particular attention needs to be paid to the weather, this is very important, as spiders tend to dislike poor weather. With improvements such as these we hope that this lab can provide further enlightenment about the spiders of Miami University.
Informational Sources:
www.ufsia.ac.be/arachnology/arachnology.html
Arachne.cofe.edu/hue/myspider.html
Clousley-Thompson, J.L., 1968. Spiders, Scorpions, centipedes, and Mites.
Perrgamon Press, London: page 30
Foelix, R.F., 1982. Biology of Spiders.
Harvard University Press, Cambridge: page 106
Gertsch, W.J., 1978. American Spiders, 2nd ed.
Van Nostrand-Reinhold, New York: pages 25, 99
Kaston, B.J., 1978. How to Know Spiders, 3rd ed.
W. C. Brown Co., Diduque, Iowa: Pages 50-62
Levi, Herbert W. & Lorna R., 1990. Spiders and Their Kin. Western
Publishing Company Inc.: 47, 72
Roth, V.D., 1986. Spider Genera of North America.
published by author, Portal, Arizona: page 81
Shear, William A., 1986. Spiders--webs, behavior, and evolution.
Stanford University Press: 54-57
Wise, David H., 1993. Spiders in ecological webs. Cambridge
University Press: 22-28
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