LABORATORY OF ETHOLOGY, ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

LABORATORY OF ETHOLOGY, ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (LEEE)

(summarized activities from 2003 to 2007)

Staff

Fernando G. Costa, Associate Professor, Head of the LEEE.

Anita Aisenberg, Assistant Professor, PhD candidate.

Rodrigo Postiglioni, Fellow.

Carlos Toscano-Gadea, Assistant Researcher.

Fernando Pérez-Miles, Honorary Associate Researcher, Head Section Entomology, School of Sciences, Montevideo.

Carmen Viera, Honorary Associate Researcher, Assistant Professor Section Entomology, School of Sciences, Montevideo.

Soledad Ghione, María José Albo and Luciana Baruffaldi, MSc candidates.

Uruguayan postgraduate students in other countries: Verónica Quirici (Chile), Marco A. Benamú (Argentine), Natalia Estramil (Netherlands).

Undergraduate students: Macarena González, Valentina Lorieto, Lorena Coelho, Mariángeles Lacava, Gonzalo Useta and Tony Mignone (USA).

Aims and scope of the LEEE

The LEEE was created in June 2000 and affiliates to the evolutionary perspective of biology. Considering the exuberant richness of the Neotropical fauna and its poor knowledge in Uruguay and other neighbouring countries, the LEEE focuses its studies in biology of arachnids from the biogeographical region. Our priorities are sexual selection and reproduction in wolf spiders, theraphosids and social spiders (Anelosimus spp.), as well as reproductive behaviour of scorpions and opilions. All these arachnids are well represented in the region and previous research has established an acceptable background of their basic biology, allowing deeper studies on reproductive behaviour, male-male competition and epigamic selection for testing current theoretical predictions from cryptic female choice and antagonistic coevolution theories. We selected arachnids of diverse lifestyles to enrich the perspectives of the same phenomenon and to know more about a wide field of eight-legged animals. This perspective initiates in 1971 (FG Costa) and has persisted until now. The group works conjointly with researchers from the School of Sciences and has an important work in research teaching of undergraduate

and postgraduate students. We organized the first Meeting of Arachnologists of the South Cone (1997), the First Latin-American Congress of Arachnology (2005), in Uruguay, and the First Uruguayan Meeting of Animal Behaviour (2006).

Publications (2003-2007)

* Costa, F.G. y C. Toscano-Gadea, 2003. Experimental interruption and re-initiation of mating in a wolf spider: an analysis of behavioural patterns and resultant progeny. Ethol. Ecol. & Evol. 15:173-181.

* Costa, F.G., F. Pérez-Miles and A. Mignone, 2004. Pompilid wasp interactions with burrowing tarantulas: Pepsis cupripennis versus Eupalaestrus weijenberghi and Acanthoscurria suina (Araneae, Theraphosidae). Studies Neotropical Fauna & Environm., 39(1):37-43.

* Ghione, S., C. Viera and F.G. Costa, 2004. Ability for prey capture in the early instars of the subsocial spider Anelosimus studiosus (Hentz, 1850) from Uruguay (Araneae, Theridiidae). Bull. Brit. Arachnol. Soc., 13(2):60-62.

* Toscano-Gadea, C.A., 2004. Confirmation of parthenogenesis in Tityus trivittatus Kraepelin, 1898 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). J. Arachnol., 33(3): 866-869.

* Toscano-Gadea, C.A. & M. Simó, 2004. La fauna de Opiliones de un área costera del Río de la Plata (Uruguay). Rev. Ibérica Arachnol., 10:157-162.

* Aisenberg, A. 2005. Aggressive or just looking for a good mate? Science, 309: 1941 (DOI: 10: 1126/ science.309.5740.1491.a)

* Aisenberg, A. and F.G. Costa, 2005. Females mated without sperm transfer maintain high sexual receptivity level in the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa. Ethology, 111(6):545-558.

* Pérez-Miles, F., F.G. Costa, C. Toscano-Gadea and A. Mignone, 2005. Ecology and behaviour of the ‘road tarantulas’ Eupalaestrus weijenberghi and Acanthoscurria suina (Araneae, Theraphosidae) from Uruguay. J. Nat. Hist., 39(6):483-498.

* Pérez-Miles, F., L. Montes de Oca, R. Postiglioni & F.G. Costa, 2005. The stridulatory setae of Acanthoscurria suina (Araneae, Theraphosidae) and its possible role in sexual communication: an experimental approach. Iheringia, Porto Alegre, 95(4):365-371.

* Quirici, V. & F.G. Costa, 2005. Seismic communication during courtship in two burrowing tarantula spiders: an experimental study on Eupalaestrus weijenberghi and Acanthoscurria suina. J. Arachnol. 33:159-166.

* Viera, C., S. Ghione and F.G. Costa, 2005. Regurgitation among penultimate juveniles in the subsocial spider Anelosimus cf. studiosus (Theridiidae): are males favored? J. Arachnol. 34(1):258-260.

* Postiglioni, R. & F.G. Costa, 2006. Reproductive isolation among three populations of the genus Grammostola from Uruguay (Araneae, Theraphosidae). Iheringia, Porto Alegre, 96(1):71-74.

* Toscano-Gadea, C.A. & F.G. Costa, 2006. Is Tityus uruguayensis (Buthidae) an araneophagic scorpion? An experimental analysis of its predatory behaviour on spiders and insects. Bull. Brit. Arachnol. Soc. 13(7):256-264.

* Aisenberg, A., C. Viera & F.G. Costa, 2007. Daring females, devoted males and reversed sexual size dimorphism in the sand-dwelling spider Allocosa brasiliensis (Araneae, Lycosidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol.: doi: 10.1007/s00265-007-0435-x.

* Estramil, N. & F.G. Costa, 2007. Female sexual receptivity after partial copulations in the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa. J. Zool. (London):271:148-153.

* Pérez-Miles, F., R. Postiglioni, L. Montes-de-Oca, L. Baruffaldi & F.G. Costa, 2007.
Mating system in the tarantula spider Eupalaestrus weijenberghi (Thorell, 1894): Evidences of monandry and polygyny. Zoology (Alemania). 110(4):253-260. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2007.01.001.

* Quirici, V. & F.G. Costa, 2007. Seismic sexual signals design of two sympatric burrowing tarantula spiders from meadows of Uruguay: Eupalaestrus weijenberghi and Acanthoscurria suina (Araneae, Theraphosidae). J. Arachnol., 35(1): 38-45.

* Viera, C., F.G. Costa, S. Ghione & M.A. Benamú-Pino, 2007. Progeny, development and phenology of the sub-social spider Anelosimus studiosus (Araneae, Theridiidae) in Uruguay. Studies Neotropical Fauna & Environm., 42(2):145-153.

* Viera, C., S. Ghione & F.G. Costa, 2007. Mechanisms underlying egg-sac opening in the subsocial spider Anelosimus cf. studiosus (Araneae, Theridiidae). Ethol. Ecol. & Evol., 19:61-67.

* Viera, C., S. Ghione & F.G. Costa, 2007. Post-embryonic development of the sub-social spider Anelosimus cf. studiosus (Araneae, Theridiidae). Bull. Br. Arachnol. Soc., 14(1):30-32.

In press

* Aisenberg, A., N. Estramil, M. González, C. Toscano-Gadea & F.G. Costa. Silk release by copulating Schizocosa malitiosa males (Araneae, Lycosidae): a bridal veil? J. Arachnol.

* Albo, M.J, C. Viera & F.G. Costa. Pseudocopulation and male-male conflict elicited by subadult females of the subsocial spider Anelosimus cf. studiosus (Theridiidae). Behaviour.

* Useta, G., B.A. Huber & F.G. Costa. Spermathecal morphology and sperm dynamics in the female Schizocosa malitiosa (Araneae: Lycosidae). Eur. J. Entomol., 104:

Book chapters

* Costa, F.G., M. Simó & A. Aisenberg, 2006. Composición y ecología de la fauna epígea de Marindia (Canelones, Uruguay) con especial énfasis en las arañas: un estudio de dos años con trampas de intercepción. Pp. 427-436. In : R. Menafra, L. Rodríguez-Gallego, F. Scarabino & D. Conde (eds), Bases para la conservación y el manejo de la costa uruguaya. Vida Silvestre Uruguay, Montevideo. i-xiv + 668pp.

* Costa F.G. & V. Quirici. 2007. Cortejo e isolamento reprodutivo em aranhas. Pp. 89–114, In M.O. Gonzaga, A.J. Santos & H.F. Japyassú (eds.) Ecologia e Comportamento de Aranhas. Editora Interciência, Rio de Janeiro. ISBN 9788571931640.

* Viera, C., H.F. Japyassú, A.J. Santos & M.O. Gonzaga, 2007. Teias e forrageamento. Pp. 45-65, In M.O. Gonzaga, A.J. Santos & H.F. Japyassú (eds.) Ecologia e Comportamento de Aranhas. Editora Interciência, Rio de Janeiro. ISBN 9788571931640.

Financially supported projects

Females that search and males that wait: an analysis of partial sex role reversal in two wolf spider species. PDT (2007-2008, Ministry of Education and Culture) grant to Anita Aisenberg.

Estimation of chemical structure of female sex pheromone of the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa, and its variations according the reproductive status. CSIC (2007-2008, University of the Republic) grant to Luciana Baruffaldi.