The Ohio State University Newark

Home   Media   Research Interests   Links
   OSU Newark   Published Works   Teaching  
Lab Members   Opportunities   EEOB   Facilities  

Impact of El Niņo on Group Formation

I am involved in a long-term collaborative research program with Dr. George Uetz at the University of Cincinnati studying the effects of El Niņo on group formation in the facultatively colonial spider, Metepeira spinipes, along the California coast.  Prior to the 1997-98 El Niņo, populations of these spiders consisted predominantly of solitary individuals, but immediately following this climatic event, spiders were found in large colonies.  This shift from solitary to colony aggregations presents a unique opportunity for exploring mechanisms responsible for group living in spiders.  I will continue my involvement in this project through subsequent weather cycles, tracking colony size distributions and population trends at multiple field sites.  In each year of the study, we have collected specimens from each of several major colonies at multiple sites, and in collaboration with Dr. Ron Debry, Dr. Ken Petren, and PhD student Jenai Milliser at the University of Cincinnati, I am working to develop microsatellite markers to analyze genetic similarity among colonies and relatedness of individuals within specific colonies. Ultimately, this combination of field and laboratory studies will help determine the role cyclic environmental events play in shaping the genetic structure of these populations.

Research Home

Sensory Ecology of an animal Communication Network

The active space of female chemical signals

Cognitive Ecology of Mate Choice