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GROUP COMPOSITION IN SOCIAL SPIDERS: COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR, KEYSTONE INDIVIDUALS, AND BACTERIAL TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS

Keiser, Carl N (2016) GROUP COMPOSITION IN SOCIAL SPIDERS: COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR, KEYSTONE INDIVIDUALS, AND BACTERIAL TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The global success of animal societies is due, in part, on the ability of groups of animals to perform collective behaviors that would be unachievable by a single individual. One major determinant of collective behavior is the composition of different types of individuals within the group. For example, individuals often differ consistently in their behavioral traits and the tasks in which they participate, and a group’s composition of individuals expressing different behavioral phenotypes (i.e., “personalities”) can be a fundamental driver of collective behaviors. Though, the same compositions that excel in one aspect of collective behavior may also incur costs in other, opposing patterns of social interactions. Here, I use the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola to test how group personality composition explains patterns of collective behaviors, social interactions, and bacterial transmission. Stegodyphus dumicola is an African social spider that lives in colonies of several dozen to many hundreds of individuals whose collective behaviors are determined by the composition of “bold” and “shy” spiders present in the colony. I found that group personality composition is a more important predictor of the execution of collective behaviors than more conspicuous colony traits like group size. Then, using social network analyses I found that colony contact networks are disassortive, where individuals preferentially interact with others of opposing personality types. Using experimental exposures to a fluorescence-transformed cuticular bacterium (Pantoea sp.), I found that horizontal bacterial transmission is predominantly directional, occurring more so from “bolder” to “shyer” spiders. Thus, it could be reasoned that animal groups containing diverse personality types may experience augmented success during collective tasks, but may also incur costs in the context of horizontal bacterial transmission. Taken together, it appears that personality compositions may impose constraints on the social organization of animal societies.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Keiser, Carl Ncnk21@pitt.eduNK210000-0002-4936-7810
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairCarson, Walter Pwalt@pitt.edu
Committee MemberPruitt, Jonathan Nagelenopsis@gmail.com
Committee MemberBoyle, Jon Pboylej@pitt.edu
Committee MemberRichards-Zawacki, Corrinecori.zawacki@pitt.edu
Committee MemberGetz, Wayne Mwgetz@berkeley.edu
Date: 30 September 2016
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 18 April 2016
Approval Date: 30 September 2016
Submission Date: 23 June 2016
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 123
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Biological Sciences
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Bacterial transmission Collective behavior Social spider Stegodyphus dumicola
Date Deposited: 30 Sep 2016 14:59
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 14:33
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28354

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