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Spider heart-rates and locomotion

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Summary

  1. 1.

    A non-invasive, laser/fibre-optic, technique was developed to measure the heartrates of active unrestrained spiders. The heart-rates of 15 species were measured before, during and after activity.

  2. 2.

    Maximum heart-rate varied between species. A possible association between maximum heartrate and prey-catching behaviour is proposed. Within a species, body-weight had no significant effect on maximum heart-rate. InArgyroneta, mature males had significantly higher maximum heart-rates than mature females.

  3. 3.

    Spiders possessing prosomal tracheae had significantly lower maximum heart-rates than spiders with tracheae limited to the abdomen. The effects of low heart-rates on haemolymph circulation, during locomotion, are discussed.

  4. 4.

    The hearts of all the spiders studied were capable of maintaining pumping during locomotion. Forced fast running was associated with a lowering of the heart-rate: heart-rates decreased at the onset of running and a rise occurred when activity ceased. A rise in heart-rate also occurred as soon as voluntary locomotion ceased.

  5. 5.

    After exercise, recovery of the heart-rate to it's pre-exercise level was faster inArgyroneta than inTrochosa. It is suggested that gas exchange is more efficient in spiders with prosomal tracheae than in spiders with tracheae limited to the abdomen.

  6. 6.

    In both active and inactiveDysdera, it appears that the volume of haemolymph pumped posteriorly by the heart varies, rhythmically in inactive spiders. It is suggested that an increased haemolymph flow posteriorly coincides with a raised pressure gradient into the prosoma which inhibits the heart from pumping haemolymph anteriorly.

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  1. Animal Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS, Oxford, England

    Clive Bromhall

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  1. Clive Bromhall
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Bromhall, C. Spider heart-rates and locomotion. J Comp Physiol B 157, 451–460 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691829

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