Date: March 25, 2019
Source: McMaster University
Evolutionary
biologists at McMaster University who study the social lives and behaviour of
colony spiders -- some of which are docile, others aggressive -- have found
that the success of their cooperative societies depend on their neighbours.
The
research, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, sheds
new light on the evolution of animal groups that organize and hunt together.
"Consider
the coordinated attacks of prides of lions or wolves, or the dazzling swirling
behaviour of starlings or schools of sardines," says Jonathan Pruitt, an
evolutionary biologist and Canada 150 Chair in the McMaster's Department of
Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour.
"These
societies are able to organize and execute strategies that cannot be produced
by single individuals. We wanted to see if the collective traits that enable
success might depend on the traits of neighboring groups."
Researchers
set out to better understand successful collective hunting practices by
studying the African social spider Stegodyphus
dumicola (S. dumicola).
While colonies of S. dumicola do
not compete with one another face to face, a single plant may be home to
several colonies, resulting in increased competition for flying prey.
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