Ecological Interactions Between Spiders and the Purple Pitcher Plant, \u3ci\u3eSarracenia purpurea\u3c/i\u3e

Spiders and harvestmen are commonly captured by or reside upon the carnivorous purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea. Although spiders and harvestmen are often known to be prey of S. purpurea, other ecological interactions between these arthropods and the plant are poorly understood. Studies were undertaken at three pitcher plant populations, two in Virginia and one in North Carolina, to assess the ecological relationships between spiders and harvestmen and S. purpurea. Multiple plots containing pitcher plants (treatment) and plots lacking pitcher plants (control) were created at these locations. Spiders and harvestmen were collected through five different techniques. Spatial, temporal, and interspecific variation in spider diversity and density among these techniques was calculated. To assess the attractive and/or retentive ability of the morphological features of S. purpurea, a field experiment was carried out whereby pitcher plant types and models were placed in a large area and their capture abilities were compared. Sticky traps at various proximities from the plant were used to test the plant\u27s influence on local insect density. The propensity of spiders and harvestmen to consume S. purpurea nectar was also examined, and the species of spiders that commonly oviposit in the pitchers were recorded. Finally, stable isotope signatures were used to determine if spider residents contribute nutrients to the plant. Significant correlations were found between the density and diversity of spiders captured by S. purpurea and those found in the environment. There was no difference in spider diversity or density between control and treatment plots. Pigment-lacking, peristome nectar-lacking, and control pitchers did not differ in arthropod capture, but models captured less prey. Furthermore, newer pitchers captured more prey than older pitchers. These data indicate that attraction and/or retention of spiders by S. purpurea is similar to attraction and/or retention of insects. Spiders and harvestmen readily consumed S. purpurea nectar and often used the plant for oviposition. Spider residents of the genus Agelenopsis contributed nitrogen to the pitchers. Finally, there was no difference in insect density between control and treatment sticky traps, suggesting that S. purpurea does not influence nearby insect density

Does Hydrotherapy Impact Behaviours Related to Mental Health and Well-Being for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Randomised Crossover-Controlled Pilot Trial

Background: Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are less physically active than typically developing children due to reduced socialisation and delayed gross-motor skills, negatively impacting social, emotional and physical well-being. This study aimed to determine whether hydrotherapy influences behaviours which impact mental health and well-being in children with ASD. Methods: A within-subjects, randomised crossover-controlled pilot trial was used over 8 weeks. Children aged 6–12 years and diagnosed with ASD (n = 8) were randomly allocated to Group 1 (n = 4) or Group 2 (n = 4). All children participated in hydrotherapy intervention from either weeks 1 to 4 or weeks 5 to 8. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) measured behaviour changes impacting mental health and well-being, administered at weeks 0, 4 and 8. Results: No observable differences were found in CBCL subscales between Group 1 or 2 at baseline (week 0). Paired-samples t-tests revealed significant improvements post-intervention: Anxious/Depressed subdomain (p = 0.02) and the Internalising Problems Domain Summary (p = 0.026), with large effect size (d = 1.03 and d = 1.06 respectively). Thought Problems (p = 0.03) and Attention Problems (p = 0.01) both significantly improved post-intervention. The Total Problems score significantly improved post-intervention (p = 0.018) with a large effect size (d = 1.04). Conclusion: Hydrotherapy may enhance behaviours impacting mental health and well-being of children with ASD and could be considered a beneficial therapy option

Does Pitcher Plant Morphology Affect Spider Residency?

Spiders are often found as residents in association with Sarracenia purpurea ( Purple Pitcher Plant). Many spiders choose web locations based on environmental cues such as vegetation structure and composition, prey density, temperature, and humidity. To determine if spiders use cues from the Purple Pitcher Plant to build their webs, we conducted a field study using variants of the plant that separated various morphological features: nectar, pigment, and the presence of prey. There was no difference in spider residency across all treatments and no difference in male/female or mature/immature residency. Linyphiids were the most common residents, possibly due to pitcher structure and natural web size

Carnivorous Pitcher Plants Eat a Diet of Certain Spiders, Regardless of What\u27s on the Menu

The purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, is a low-lying carnivorous plant that uses pitcher-shaped leaves to catch arthropod prey for nutrition. Spiders make up a significant portion of these prey. To determine the tendency of specific spider taxa to be captured by the plant, we compared the composition (by taxonomic family) of three spider assemblages: those captured by the plant, those residing on or over the plant, and those found nearby in the local environment. Although there were some broad similarities within the three spider assemblages, significant differences existed when specific families and guilds were considered. While some families (e.g., Linyphiidae and Lycosidae) and guilds (e.g., low sheet/tangle weavers) were heavily represented in all three assemblages, other groups varied, and we found that the taxonomic makeup of victimized and resident spiders did not always reflect their environmental abundances. Moreover, spider assemblages captured by S. purpurea were extremely similar across distant locations regardless of environmental spider assemblage composition, suggesting that S. purpurea is very selective in its spider capture regimen