Heart Rate and Physiological Ecology

Abstract

A spider’s heart rate is a major indicator of its physiological state (Mikulska 196lb). Unfortunately, this concept is more an extrapolation from studies with a wide variety of nonarachnid invertebrates and vertebrates than it is a conclusion drawn from studies with spiders themselves. For example,J.C. Jones et al. (1971) and Ligon and Greenberg (1971) summarized data showing that heart rate in a generalized invertebrate varies according to the properties of the individual, its environment, and the experimental methodology used to gather data. However, of the 100 or so publications cited by them, some of which date back as far as 1837, none ostensibly deals with spiders.