A predator's body coloration enhances its foraging profitability by day and night

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Title:	A predator's body coloration enhances its foraging profitability by day and night
Authors:	卓逸民 Sean, J.Blamires Hou, Chueh Chen, Lin-Fei Liao, Chen-Pan Tso, I-Min
Contributors:	Department of Life ScienceTunghai University
Keywords:	Body coloration Color contrast Diurnal foraging Nocturnal foraging Orb-web spider Visual signals
Date:	2014-08
Issue Date:	2016-09-01T07:42:10Z (UTC)
Publisher:	Germany:Springer
Abstract:	Few predators forage by both day and night. It remains unknown, however, how the costs and benefits of foraging or signaling are partitioned in animals that forage at all times. The orb-web spider Cyrtophora moluccensis is brightly colored and forages by day and night. We determined the benefits reaped when it forages by both day and night by estimating the biomass of prey caught in their webs. Additionally, we quantified whether the spider’s presence influences the number of prey caught by day and night and whether its colorful body is visible to diurnal and/or nocturnal insects using diurnal and nocturnal insect vision models. We found that approximately five times the biomass of prey was caught in C. moluccensis’ webs by night than by day. Hemipterans, hymenopterans, and dipterans were predominantly caught by day, while lepidopterans (moths) were predominately caught by night. Accordingly, we concluded that foraging by night is more profitable than foraging by day. We predicted that other benefits, for example, energetic advantages or enhanced fecundity, may promote its daytime activity. Foraging success was greater by day and night when the spider was present in the web than when the spider was absent. We also found that parts of the spider’s body were conspicuous to diurnal and nocturnal insects, possibly through different visual channels. The colorful body of C. moluccensis, accordingly, appears to influence its foraging success by attracting prey during both the day and night.
Relation:	Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 68(8), 1253-1260
Appears in Collections:	[生命科學系所] 期刊論文

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