Étude d'un modèle comportemental du vieillissement : la construction de la toile chez une araignée orbitèle

Ageing is an obligatory and natural progressive process often associated with a decline in organism functions and performances. Although behaviours inform us about the physiological and neurological state of an organism, relationship between behaviour and ageing remains largely misunderstood. Thus, the research of new animal models that could assess this relationship would be crucial. In orb weaving spiders, the web is a complex geometrical structure, which presents a visible regularity. Its construction results of a succession of organized and repeatable behaviours and each variation in web characteristics could be interpreted as a behavioural variation during web construction. The objective of this study was to highlight structural variations in web's structure of the spider Zygiella-x-notata, which were correlated with spider's age, and to know how ageing affected spider mobility during web construction and prey capture. Our results showed that ageing influenced the geometrical structure of the orb-web, and the spider web-building and prey capture behaviours. Our study allowed to validate the pertinence of the use of spiders and their orb web as innovative models for studies of relationships between ageing and behaviourLe vieillissement est un phénomène naturel, obligatoire et irréversible, souvent associé à un déclin des performances et des fonctions de l'organisme. Bien que les comportements nous renseignent sur l'état physiologique et neurologique de l'organisme, très peu d'études ont portées sur les relations entre l'âge et les comportements. La recherche de nouveaux modèles permettant d'appréhender cette relation pourrait donc être primordiale. Chez les araignées orbitèles, la toile est une structure géométrique complexe d'une apparente régularité. Sa construction résulte d'une succession de comportements organisés et répétés et chaque variation dans la structure de la toile peut être interpréter comme une variation comportementale de l'araignée lors de la construction. L'objectif de cette étude était de mettre en évidence des variations structurelles dans la géométrie de la toile de l'araignée Zygiella x-notata qui pourraient être corrélées au vieillissement de l'araignée, et de savoir comment le vieillissement agissait sur la mobilité de l'araignée lors de sa construction et lors de la capture des proies. Nos résultats montrent que le vieillissement a affecté les caractéristiques géométriques de la toile, le comportement de construction et le comportement de capture de l'araignée. Notre étude a permis de valider la pertinence de l'utilisation des araignées orbitèles et de leurs toiles géométriques comme modèles innovants pour l'étude des relations entre vieillissement et comportemen

Study of a behavioural model of ageing : the web construction in an orb-weaving spider

Le vieillissement est un phénomène naturel, obligatoire et irréversible, souvent associé à un déclin des performances et des fonctions de l'organisme. Bien que les comportements nous renseignent sur l'état physiologique et neurologique de l'organisme, très peu d'études ont portées sur les relations entre l'âge et les comportements. La recherche de nouveaux modèles permettant d'appréhender cette relation pourrait donc être primordiale. Chez les araignées orbitèles, la toile est une structure géométrique complexe d'une apparente régularité. Sa construction résulte d'une succession de comportements organisés et répétés et chaque variation dans la structure de la toile peut être interpréter comme une variation comportementale de l'araignée lors de la construction. L'objectif de cette étude était de mettre en évidence des variations structurelles dans la géométrie de la toile de l'araignée Zygiella x-notata qui pourraient être corrélées au vieillissement de l'araignée, et de savoir comment le vieillissement agissait sur la mobilité de l'araignée lors de sa construction et lors de la capture des proies. Nos résultats montrent que le vieillissement a affecté les caractéristiques géométriques de la toile, le comportement de construction et le comportement de capture de l'araignée. Notre étude a permis de valider la pertinence de l'utilisation des araignées orbitèles et de leurs toiles géométriques comme modèles innovants pour l'étude des relations entre vieillissement et comportementAgeing is an obligatory and natural progressive process often associated with a decline in organism functions and performances. Although behaviours inform us about the physiological and neurological state of an organism, relationship between behaviour and ageing remains largely misunderstood. Thus, the research of new animal models that could assess this relationship would be crucial. In orb weaving spiders, the web is a complex geometrical structure, which presents a visible regularity. Its construction results of a succession of organized and repeatable behaviours and each variation in web characteristics could be interpreted as a behavioural variation during web construction. The objective of this study was to highlight structural variations in web's structure of the spider Zygiella-x-notata, which were correlated with spider's age, and to know how ageing affected spider mobility during web construction and prey capture. Our results showed that ageing influenced the geometrical structure of the orb-web, and the spider web-building and prey capture behaviours. Our study allowed to validate the pertinence of the use of spiders and their orb web as innovative models for studies of relationships between ageing and behaviou

Loss of legs: is it or not a handicap for an orb-weaving spider?

International audienceLeg loss is a common phenomenon in spiders, and according to the species 5% to 40% of the adults can present at least one missing leg. There is no possibility of regeneration after adult moult and the animal must manage with its missing appendages until its death. With the loss of one or more legs, female orb-weaving spiders can be penalized twice: firstly, because the legs are necessary for web construction and secondly, the legs are essential for the control of the prey after its interception by the web. During development, spiders may be also penalized because regeneration has energetic costs that take away resources for survival, growth and reproduction. All these consequences should influence negatively the development of the spider and thus its fitness. We investigated the impact of leg loss in the orb-weaving spider, Zygiella x-notata by studying its frequency in a natural population and web building and prey capture behaviours in laboratory. In field populations, 9.5% to 13%, of the adult females presented the loss of one or more legs; the majority of individuals had lost only one leg (in 48% of cases, a first one). Leg loss seems to affect all the adult spiders, as there is no difference of mass between intact spiders and those with missing leg. Data obtained with laboratory-reared spiders, showed that the loss of legs due to the moult is rare (less than 1%). Considering changes in web design, spiders with missing legs decreased their silk investment, increased the distance between spiral turns but did not change the capture surface of the web. Under our laboratory experimental conditions, spiders with one or two lost legs did not present any difference in prey capture efficiency. In laboratory conditions, spiders with lost leg(s) did not show any difference in egg sac production or in longevity (adult lifespan) compared to intact spiders

Étude d'un modèle comportemental du vieillissement (la construction de la toile chez une araignée orbitèle)

Le vieillissement est un phénomène naturel, obligatoire et irréversible, souvent associé à un déclin des performances et des fonctions de l'organisme. Bien que les comportements nous renseignent sur l'état physiologique et neurologique de l'organisme, très peu d'études ont portées sur les relations entre l'âge et les comportements. La recherche de nouveaux modèles permettant d'appréhender cette relation pourrait donc être primordiale. Chez les araignées orbitèles, la toile est une structure géométrique complexe d'une apparente régularité. Sa construction résulte d'une succession de comportements organisés et répétés et chaque variation dans la structure de la toile peut être interpréter comme une variation comportementale de l'araignée lors de la construction. L'objectif de cette étude était de mettre en évidence des variations structurelles dans la géométrie de la toile de l'araignée Zygiella x-notata qui pourraient être corrélées au vieillissement de l'araignée, et de savoir comment le vieillissement agissait sur la mobilité de l'araignée lors de sa construction et lors de la capture des proies. Nos résultats montrent que le vieillissement a affecté les caractéristiques géométriques de la toile, le comportement de construction et le comportement de capture de l'araignée. Notre étude a permis de valider la pertinence de l'utilisation des araignées orbitèles et de leurs toiles géométriques comme modèles innovants pour l'étude des relations entre vieillissement et comportementAgeing is an obligatory and natural progressive process often associated with a decline in organism functions and performances. Although behaviours inform us about the physiological and neurological state of an organism, relationship between behaviour and ageing remains largely misunderstood. Thus, the research of new animal models that could assess this relationship would be crucial. In orb weaving spiders, the web is a complex geometrical structure, which presents a visible regularity. Its construction results of a succession of organized and repeatable behaviours and each variation in web characteristics could be interpreted as a behavioural variation during web construction. The objective of this study was to highlight structural variations in web's structure of the spider Zygiella-x-notata, which were correlated with spider's age, and to know how ageing affected spider mobility during web construction and prey capture. Our results showed that ageing influenced the geometrical structure of the orb-web, and the spider web-building and prey capture behaviours. Our study allowed to validate the pertinence of the use of spiders and their orb web as innovative models for studies of relationships between ageing and behaviourMETZ-SCD (574632105) / SudocNANCY1-Bib. numérique (543959902) / SudocNANCY2-Bibliotheque electronique (543959901) / SudocNANCY-INPL-Bib. électronique (545479901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Time till death affects spider mobility and web-building behavior during web construction in an orb-web spider

International audienceIt is well known that age influences organism mobility. This was demonstrated in vertebrates (such as mammals and birds) but has been less studied in invertebrates with the exception of Drosophila and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we studied the influence of age on the mobility of the orb-weaving spider Zygiella x-notata during web construction. The orb-web is a good model because it has a characteristic geometrical structure and video tracking can be used to easily follow the spider's movements during web building. We investigated the influence of age (specifically chronological age, life span, and time till death) on different parameters of spider mobility during the construction of the capture spiral (distance traveled, duration of construction, spider velocity, spider movement, and spider inactivity) with a generalized linearmodel (GLM) procedure adjusted for the spidermass. The results showed that neither chronological age, nor life span affected the mobility parameters. However, when the time till death decreased, there was a decrease in the distance traveled, the duration of the construction of the capture spiral, and the spider movement. The spider velocity and the time of inactivity were not affected. These results could be correlated with a decrease in the length of the silky thread deposited for the construction of the capture spiral. Spiders with a shorter time till death built smaller web using less silk. Thus, our study suggests strongly that time till death affects spider mobility during web construction but not the chronological age and thus may be a good indicator of senescence

Aging and foraging efficiency in an orb-web spider

International audienceAging is often associated with reduced behavioral performance such as decreased locomotion or food consumption, related to a deterioration in physiological functions. In orb-web spiders, webs are used to capture prey and aging can affect web-building behavior and web structure. Here, we investigated the effect of aging on prey capture in the orb-web spider Zygiella x-notata. The ability of adult females to capture flies was examined at different ages. The rate of prey capture did not change with age, but older spiders took more time to subdue and capture the prey. Alterations which appeared in web structure with age (increase in the number of anomalies affecting radii and capture spiral) affected prey capture behavior. Furthermore, the analysis of individual performance (carried out on 17 spiders at two different ages) showed that older females spent more time handling the prey and finding it in the web. Our results suggest that, in the laboratory, age does not affect prey capture rates but it influences prey capture behavior by affecting web structure or/and spider motor functions