Meeting Abstract

P1-137   -   The metabolic rates of wolf spiders and the effects of individual temporal niches on Lycosidae respirometry Rhee, RS*; Adams, OR; Dell, AI; Frauenheim, KS; Jones, KS; Sahai, A; Uiterwaal, SF; Seymoure, BM; Living Earth Collaborative and Washington University in St. Louis; National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, and Edward Waters University; National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Washington University in St. Louis; Washington University in St. Louis, and National Science Foundation; Living Earth Collaborative and Washington University in St. Louis; Saint Louis University; University of Nebraska - Lincoln; National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Living Earth Collaborative, and Washington University in St. Louis rachel.rhee@wustl.edu

Organisms entrain their circadian rhythms through light exposure and this entrained circadian rhythm dictates the timing of most physiology and behavior ranging from when to forage, when to rest, and when to hide from predators. Thus, metabolism and respiration are determined by the circadian rhythm of an organism and ultimately natural light cycles should entrain both behaviors. However, we currently lack a full understanding of how this light-dependent system is influenced by varying individual temporal niches, species, size, and sex. Our team examined metabolic rates across different wolf spiders. The respiration of ninety-seven spiders were collected across daytime, evening, and nighttime to compare individual metabolic rates with their natural circadian rhythms. Using SensorVials, we individually housed the specimens and kept a dark environment to eliminate effects of external lighting. With a Presens SDR Respirometry, metabolic rates were tracked via oxygen concentration levels every 2 minutes for an hour, with a 20-minute calibration period. We hypothesize spiders caught during the day (i.e., diurnal spiders) would have greater respiration rates at day compared to spiders caught at night, and spiders caught at night (i.e., nocturnal spiders) would have their highest respiration rates at night. We also expected larger spiders would have greater overall respiration rates. We found respiration rates varied across spider species, sex, and time of collection. Surprisingly, we did not find clear differences in respiration rate based on activity pattern and discuss the implications of these findings. Through this research, we can further our understanding of how light, particularly manmade manipulation of light, can affect animals’ biological systems and behavior.