Hemipteran defensive odors trigger predictable color biases in jumping spider predators

Michael E Vickers,Lisa A Taylor

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-78952-5

Michael E Vickers, Lisa A Taylor

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78952-5

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Abstract

Multimodal warning displays often pair one signal modality (odor) with a second modality (color) to avoid predation. Experiments with bird predators suggest these signal components interact synergistically, with aversive odors triggering otherwise hidden aversions to particular prey colors. In a recent study, this phenomenon was found in a jumping spider (Habronattus trimaculatus), with the defensive odor from a coreid bug (Acanthocephala femorata) triggering an aversion to red. Here, we explore how generalizable this phenomenon is by giving H. trimaculatus the choice between red or black prey in the presence or absence of defensive odors secreted from (1) eastern leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus, Hemiptera), (2) grass stinkbugs (Mormidea pama, Hemiptera), (3) Asian ladybird beetles (Harmonia axyridis, Coleoptera), and (4) eastern lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera, Orthoptera). As expected, in the presence of the hemipteran odors, spiders were less likely to attack red prey (compared to no odor). Unexpectedly, the beetle and grasshopper odors did not bias spiders away from red. Our results with the hemipteran odors were unique to red; follow-up experiments indicated that these odors did not affect biases for/against green prey. We discuss our findings in the context of generalized predator foraging behavior and the functions of multimodal warning displays.

Highlights

IntroductionMultimodal warning displays often pair one signal modality (odor) with a second modality (color) to avoid predation
Multimodal warning displays often pair one signal modality with a second modality to avoid predation
Our findings here show that the presence of defensive odors from multiple hemipteran insects made Habronattus jumping spiders more likely to avoid red prey

Summary

Introduction

Multimodal warning displays often pair one signal modality (odor) with a second modality (color) to avoid predation. When presented with a defensive odor from a chemically-defended coreid bug (Order Hemiptera), Habronattus trimaculatus spiders showed fewer attacks on the color red (compared with black); the result of this previous study was predicted a priori based on the bird literature, as red is a color that is often associated with aposematic p rey[18]. When this experiment was Scientific Reports | (2020) 10:21898. One question that remained after this previous study was whether the synergistic effect of color and odor is a general feature of Habronattus foraging and predator psychology (as it seems to be in birds), or whether this response is limited to one specific coreid odor

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