Horel A, Gundermann J L
Université de Nancy I, Laboratoire de Biologie du Comportement et Physiologie, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Behav Processes. 1992;27(2):85-93. doi: 10.1016/0376-6357(92)90018-9. Epub 2002 Jun 3.
A number of spider species present a pattern of maternal behaviour labelled 'egg sac guardingŕs which consist of remaining close to the egg sac throughout the incubation period. The present study aims at assessing the function of this behaviour and at casting some light on its control mechanisms in Coelotes terrestris, a species which, unlike those previously studied, is sedentary and presents extended care of the young. Field and laboratory experiments have shown that the mother had a determining role in the protection of her progency against predators,which may include certain conspecifics, and parasites (acaria and moulds). Confronting females at various stages of the reproductive cycle with non-guarded egg sacs provided a certain amount of information on the development of egg guarding. Sub-adults ignored the egg sac (neither cannibalism nor egg guarding). Cannibalism was only exhibited by inseminated females which had not yet oviposited. The onset of egg guarding seemed to be linked with oviposition. No external stimulations were necessary for its maintenance and no extinction was observed. This indicated that the mother-young interactions which took place after emergence did not interfere with the tendency to guard the egg sac.
许多蜘蛛物种呈现出一种被称为“护卵囊”的母性行为模式，即在整个孵化期都靠近卵囊。本研究旨在评估这种行为的功能，并阐明其在陆生漏斗蛛中的控制机制。与之前研究的物种不同，陆生漏斗蛛是定居性的，并且对幼蛛有长期照料。野外和实验室实验表明，母亲在保护后代免受捕食者（可能包括某些同种个体）和寄生虫（螨类和霉菌）侵害方面起着决定性作用。让处于生殖周期不同阶段的雌蛛面对未受保护的卵囊，提供了一些关于护卵行为发展的信息。亚成体忽略卵囊（既不食卵也不护卵）。只有尚未产卵的受精雌蛛表现出食卵行为。护卵行为的开始似乎与产卵有关。维持这种行为不需要外部刺激，也未观察到行为消退。这表明幼蛛出壳后发生的母婴互动不会干扰护卵囊的倾向。
