Effects of Facial Manipulation on Courtship Interactions in Habronattus coecatus Jumping Spiders

Abstract

Record ID: 260

Award(s): Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship; Excellence in Research Communication

Program Affiliation: NA

Presentation Type: Poster

Abstract: Across diverse taxa, faces play a vital role in social communication and species recognition. In courtship, species recognition can be crucial to avoid hybrid matings, which could result in lowered fitness. Studies of facial perception have historically focused on primates and other vertebrates, but less is known about how invertebrates perceive and interact with faces. The Habronattus jumping spider genus is a tractable model system for investigating the evolutionary functions of facial patterning due to their high visual acuity, trichromatic vision, and diversity of species-specific male facial patterns. We hypothesize that male Habronattus faces may play a role in communicating species identity. We predict that manipulation of a male spider's face will result in changes to courtship interactions and mating success. To investigate this, we analyzed courtship responses of paired male and female H. coecatus, in which male faces were either unmanipulated (i.e., natural) or manipulated to resemble that of a co-occurring species, H. calcaratus. We used the software 'BORIS' to track male mating success, male courtship effort, and female aggression. Preliminary results indicate that male facial pattern may have subtle effects on courtship interactions. Facial pattern may not affect mating success, but differences in total duration and proximity of displays, and female attack rates were observed. We also observed higher mating success amongst pairs with larger female-male weight differences, which differs from findings in related species. These findings illuminate how invertebrates might utilize facial patterning to inform mating decisions, offering new perspectives on facial perception beyond vertebrate taxa.