Social factors driving settlement and relocation decisions in a solitary and aggregative spider

摘要: AbstractBoth ecological and social factors play an important role in determining the structure of animal settlement patterns. While are generally well known, relative importance mediating fine-scale choices is poorly understood. As a result, we have little knowledge why individuals choose to settle near specific neighbors. Here used web-building spider (Nephila plumipes) that settles both solitarily next neighbors within aggregations examine influence decisions. Within experimental enclosures, observed patterns females pre- postmale release. This allowed us compare two models aggregative lekking species—the hotshot preferences models—to female’s phenotype mate attraction further dissect relocation We show increased with...