Hurricanes Apparently Influence Spider Aggression

Essentially, scientists believe that extreme weather, such as hurricanes (like Hurricane Dorian), can affect the behavioral patterns seen in colonies of tangle-web spiders. Johnathan Pruitt decided that he wanted to understand this matter and began conducting an experiment. He found that more aggressive colonies produced more babies in areas affected by hurricanes, while more docile colonies procreated more in areas that were not affected by said storms.

Honestly, when I saw the title of the article, I thought this was a joke. I am pleasantly surprised to learn that weather affects arachnids in some of the same ways as other animals; the thought just never seemed to cross my mind that they have to adapt to harsh weather conditions too. I think this article was important because it allows us to understand what types of behaviors in these spider colonies will allow them to survive depending on the weather with which their colony resides; unless you don't care about spiders, then this information is kind of irrelevant.

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Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2019 at 11:00 AM

    I would want to know how they tested levels of spider aggression or how the idea for the experiment was created. Is there a reason why the spiders choose to be more aggressive other than it helps them survive? It's weird to think that spiders would act the same way as other animals, but it makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. chrheaSeptember 15, 2019 at 8:43 AM

      I am curious about the same thing... how does one test spider aggression?

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2019 at 6:53 AM

    I find this to be a very interesting topic. I do wonder why it effects only this one species of spider?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2019 at 11:14 AM

    The life of spiders or insects does not cross my mind often especially when I see one. People are not overly fond of arachnids and don't concern themselves with what they are up to day-to-day. I think knowing and being conscious that other forms of life are dealing with the affects of hurricanes or weather as well messes with ones mind. I think of the poor dogs and pets that have to suffer through the hurricanes, but spiders and bugs are the last thing on my mind. Interesting topic and now I have goosebumps.

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