Physiological ecology of tarantulas: Thermoregulation, metabolism, and performance traits

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2020

Department/School

Biology

Publication Title

New World Tarantulas: Taxonomy, Biogeography and Evolutionary Biology of Theraphosidae

Abstract

Tarantulas represent interesting models for examining metabolism and performance traits (e.g., sprint speed) because of their large size and sex dimorphism at maturity that leads to different selective pressures. As ectotherms, these traits are also dependent on body temperature and their ability to behaviorally thermoregulate (dealing with both extreme heat and cold) can in turn, have significant impacts on growth, survival, and reproduction. After reaching sexual maturity, most males change their sedentary habits and leave their retreats or webs to search actively for females. Males are relatively short-lived and costs of locomotion may be high. Exposure to large fluctuations in environmental conditions makes males more vulnerable to heat stress, desiccation, and predation. In comparison, females tend to remain in close proximity to their burrows and maintain a larger body size over a longer life span. Because of their sit-and-wait predatory strategy, they may undergo long periods with limited food availability and tend to have very low resting metabolic rates that enables survival with low and unpredictable food resources. This chapter will review various aspects of thermoregulation and coldhardiness, metabolism and performance traits in tarantulas with particular emphasis on differences between males and females and examining these traits in the context of selection pressures due the animal’s natural history and life history strategies.

Comments

C. Shillington is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Biology.

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