Spider mite web mediates anti-predator behaviour

• Published in: Experimental & applied acarology Vol. 52; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Lemos, Felipe, Sarmento, Renato Almeida, Pallini, Angelo, Dias, Cleide Rosa, Sabelis, Maurice W, Janssen, Arne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01-09-2010; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal Ecology; Animal ethology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Araneae; Autoecology; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecosystem engineers; Eggs; Entomology; Escape Reaction - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Herbivores; Life history; Life Sciences; Male; Mites; Offspring; Oviposition - physiology; Oviposition behaviour; Phytoseiulus longipes; Predation risk; Predators; Predatory Behavior - physiology; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Tetranychidae - physiology; Tetranychus; Tetranychus evansi; tomatoes; Ecosystem engineers; Oviposition behaviour; Tomato; Predation risk; Predator prey relation; Pest; Acari; Tetranychus evansi; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Lycopersicon esculentum; Solanaceae; Antipredator behavior; Gamasida; Parasitiformes; Tetranychidae; Phytoseiulus longipes; Acariformes; Arachnida; Actinedida; Arthropoda; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Phytoseiidae; Egg laying behavior; Fabric; Ecosystem engineer
• ISSN: 0168-8162; 1572-9702
• DOI: 10.1007/s10493-010-9344-1

Herbivores suffer significant mortality from predation and are therefore subject to natural selection on traits promoting predator avoidance and resistance. They can employ an array of strategies to reduce predation, for example through changes in behaviour, morphology and life history. So far, the anti-predator response studied most intensively in spider mites has been the avoidance of patches with high predation risk. Less attention has been given to the dense web produced by spider mites, which is a complex structure of silken threads that is thought to hinder predators. Here, we investigate the effects of the web produced by the red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard, on its interactions with the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus longipes Evans. We tested whether female spider mites recognize predator cues and whether these can induce the spider mites to produce denser web. We found that the prey did not produce denser web in response to such cues, but laid more eggs suspended in the web, away from the leaf surface. These suspended eggs suffered less from predation by P. longipes than eggs that were laid on the leaf surface under the web. Thus, by altering their oviposition behaviour in response to predator cues, females of T. evansi protect their offspring.