About This Project
Some daddy longlegs fight during mating and others cooperate. In conflict-based mating interactions, males overcome females with force, and copulation takes 2 hours! In cooperative mating, copulation occurs within seconds, and males provide females nourishing "nuptial gifts." I currently lack a high-resolution video camera to capture fine behavioral details of these interactions that will allow me to understand why such extreme variation in mating behavior exists. This project will answer why conflict evolves from cooperation.Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
What causes differences in species of daddy longlegs in the level of conflict/cooperation they exhibit during mating?
1) What behaviors differ between species with that cooperate versus show conflict during mating?
2) When there is not much time left in a mating season, do cooperative versus conflict-based species change how males try to secure mates?
3) Does mating behavior change depending upon how common males are? In other words, when males have to compete for mates and females have plenty to choose from, are you more likely to see males fight during mating? How does this manifest in cooperative- versus conflict-based species?
What is the significance of this project?
Why does conflict evolve from cooperation? While researchers have studied the evolution of conflict in isolated species, the daddy longleg system is uniquely suited to answering this question, because it is a group in which conflict has evolved at least 4-5 independent times! There are also very specific, easily-identifiable morphological characters that occur in conflict-based species: these include male genitalia designed for applying high force during mating and barricades at the opening of the female reproductive track to block the male's attempts. By combining field work with behavioral trials in the lab, this research will help identify the contributions of various environmental factors (like the sex ratio, population density, length of mating season) that favor cooperation versus conflict. The long-term goal is for the data collected for this project to be combined with phylogenetic data and morphological data (testing the strength of males and females) to test why conflict evolves in a strong evolutionary framework.
What are the goals of the project?
Many daddy longlegs are very small, and the organs they use for mating are even smaller. The camera I currently use does not allow me to see the details of how males and females communicate during mating. The funding raised in support of this project will purchase a high resolution video camera capable of capturing these fine-detailed behaviors (Canon XA10 High Definition Camcorder).
As new videos and pictures are captured of the fascinating mating behavior of daddy longlegs, I will be posting them so that you will be able to track differences in mating among species and across the mating season, and see how your generous donation contributes to the progress of my research on conflict and cooperation!
Budget
The budget includes filming equipment to help determine the finescale details of daddy longleg mating behavior. The specific camera requested is a Canon XA10 High Definition Camcorder ($1,699.00), which will enable macroshots, nighttime recording and portability for field recording. The SD card will allow instant backup and portable video capacity to the project.
Meet the Team
Team Bio
Kasey Fowler-Finn has been fascinated by arachnids like spiders and daddy longlegs since she was a small child. Now, her research focuses on how changes in the world affect how these strange animals survive and communicate with one another - particularly during mating, which takes high levels of communication and coordination. With the rapid changes our earth is experiencing, predicting these changes can be important for understanding how biodiversity will be affected by global climate change.One of Kasey's passions is to train undergraduate and citizen researchers in the scientific process. Involving students and the public in her research has not only been exciting and educational, but has also helped push her science forward. Many of her co-authors on published scientific articles are undergraduates that continue onto careers in science and medicine, and many papers acknowledge local groups for their efforts in collecting animals for experimentation.
Please see her website for more information on additional research projects she is working on: https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kaseyff/webpage/RafaLab_KaseyMainPage.html.
Kasey Fowler-Finn
Kasey Fowler-Finn has been fascinated by arachnids like spiders and daddy longlegs since she was a small child. She now gets to live her dream by studying them. Her research focuses on how changes in the world affect how animals survive and communicate with one another - such as during mating. Particularly with the rapid changes our earth is experiencing, predicting these changes can be important for understanding how biodiversity will be affected by global climate change.
One of Kasey's passions is to train undergraduate and citizen researchers in the scientific process. Involving students and the public in her research has not only been exciting and educational, but has also helped push her science forward. Many of her co-authors on published scientific articles are undergraduates that continue on to careers in science and medicine, and many papers acknowledge local groups for their efforts in collecting animals for experimentation.
Please see her website for more information on additional research projects she is working on: https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kaseyff/webpage/RafaLab_KaseyMainPage.html.
Additional Information
For a very summarized video of a conflict-based mating interaction, see the following! This mating lasted 80 minutes, but this week, I have a new record: 2.5 hours!Project Backers
- 12Backers
- 25%Funded
- $460Total Donations
- $38.33Average Donation