Mackenzie Dasek, “Role of Memory in Web Navigation and Prey Capture in Frontinella communis (Araneae: Linyphiidae)”
Mentor: Rafa Rodríguez, Biological Sciences, Letters & Science (College of)
Oral Presentation: 9:30am Union E260
Despite small body size and an even smaller brain size, arthropods demonstrate many complex cognitive abilities. Some of these abilities arise as a response to the need to navigate the environment. For example, ants use the orientation of the sun to direct their movements, and honeybees perform elaborate dances to direct other bees to foraging locations outside their hives. The mechanism behind these abilities vary, but some rely on cognitive processes such as memory. Understanding the role of cognitive processes in arthropods can provide an explanation to how these small animals are capable of navigating complex environments. Therefore, we set out to determine the function of memory in the navigation of a web-building spider, Frontinella communis (bowl-and-doily spiders). Web-building spiders have poor eyesight and must rely on other cues to navigate. We compared how spiders captured prey on their own webs or on unfamiliar webs to reveal if the primary navigation cues these spiders use are from memory or other external factors. We hypothesized that more likely or faster prey capture on an individual’s own web would indicate these spiders rely on memory for web navigation, while similar prey capture on own and unfamiliar webs would indicate these spiders primarily use external cues for web navigation. This work has implications beyond spiders and web navigation, and provides insight into arthropod spatial navigation and the role of cognition in how animals respond to the environment.