MWF Spider Seminar

Participants will be introduced to the biology of spiders, with an emphasis on the ecological roles of spiders, their incredible diversity, and techniques to identify specimens to species level. Other topics covered include the evolutionary relationships, functional morphology, behavior, and physiology of spiders. Lectures and discussions will not only cover the basics, but will also highlight current frontiers of research and where research on spiders has been contributing to conceptual advances in biology. Excursions and labs will provide the opportunity for hands-on exploration of spider diversity and behavior. The excursions will take us to various local habitats (e.g. old fields, forests, marshlands), where we will observe spiders in their natural environments and use various sampling techniques to catch individuals for later identification. During the lab sessions, we will identify specimens to fully appreciate spider diversity in relation to environmental conditions and habitat. The seminar will provide great opportunities for students who wish to earn additional credits; simply email me beforehand.

Course overview
(All pictures were taken during last year's course)

Daily meeting times: generally from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (lunch is at 12:30) and from 1:30 to 5:30 (dinner is at 7:00). From 8:00 onwards is optional, though most participants spend some time in the classroom after dinner to identify specimens.

Activities during the week generally combine lectures, intensive field studies, and follow-up work in the lab (identification of specimens and discussions).

Field trips: we will visit various habitats in the immediate vicinity of the station (forests, old fields) as well as other locations such as marsh land, rocky shore, and fresh water edge habitats. During our trips we will employ various collection techniques (e.g. sweeping, beating, collecting with aspirators) and we will place traps (e.g. pitfall traps) for the week on selected sites to sample a broad spectrum of the spider fauna. Independent projects pursued by students might require specific sampling of sites and techniques (e.g. traps) which can be accommodated. If you have something in mind please contact me beforehand.


Spiders: Identification, Diversity, Ecology, and Biology
at the Humboldt Field Research Institute

Participants will be introduced to the biology of spiders, with an emphasis on the ecological roles of spiders, their incredible diversity, and techniques to identify specimens to species level. Other topics covered include the evolutionary relationships, functional morphology, behavior, and physiology of spiders. Lectures and discussions will not only cover the basics, but will also highlight current frontiers of research and where research on spiders has been contributing to conceptual advances in biology. Excursions and labs will provide the opportunity for hands-on exploration of spider diversity and behavior. The excursions will take us to various local habitats (e.g. old fields, forests, marshlands), where we will observe spiders in their natural environments and use various sampling techniques to catch individuals for later identification. During the lab sessions, we will identify specimens to fully appreciate spider diversity in relation to environmental conditions and habitat. The seminar will provide great opportunities for students who wish to earn additional credits; simply email me beforehand.

Next course: 15 - 21 August 2010
Register here!

Course overview (All pictures were taken during last year's course) Daily meeting times: generally from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (lunch is at 12:30) and from 1:30 to 5:30 (dinner is at 7:00). From 8:00 onwards is optional, though most participants spend some time in the classroom after dinner to identify specimens. Activities during the week generally combine lectures, intensive field studies, and follow-up work in the lab (identification of specimens and discussions).
Field trips: we will visit various habitats in the immediate vicinity of the station (forests, old fields) as well as other locations such as marsh land, rocky shore, and fresh water edge habitats. During our trips we will employ various collection techniques (e.g. sweeping, beating, collecting with aspirators) and we will place traps (e.g. pitfall traps) for the week on selected sites to sample a broad spectrum of the spider fauna. Independent projects pursued by students might require specific sampling of sites and techniques (e.g. traps) which can be accommodated. If you have something in mind please contact me beforehand.
Lectures and discussions: lectures cover fundamental concepts as well as examples from the current literature to illustrate the most recent advances in the filed. Scholarly articles accompanying the various topics will be handed out during class (and also provided as pdf files if desired). Lectures will often be broken up by video presentations and discussions. Parts of lectures can also be moved to lab sessions if desired.
Lab sessions: Here we will use most of our time to look at our collected specimens and we will try to key them out to species level whenever possible. Apart from the essential insight into the diversity of spiders gained by identification of individuals, this will form the basis for our evaluation of species occurrence and diversity in relation to habitat sampled (and technique used). In addition to id work, we will have discussions and short presentations by me (or participants) that relate to our catches (species or genus related biology, fun facts, etc).
Apart from lunch and dinner, the timetable is quite flexible. For example, if we feel like going out earlier on a given day than described here, we can certainly do so. Likewise, we will be able to adapt our schedule to accommodate weather conditions.
Sunday, August 15 Afternoon to early evening arrival Dinner at 7PM Evening orientation - defining participants' interests, experience, and expectations for the course.
Monday, August 16 08:30 Lecture and discussion: - Introduction to spiders (relationships to other arthropods such as insects, functional groups, vertical stratification in habitats) - Collection techniques and plan 10:00 Field trip 13:30 Lecture and discussion: - Introduction to the identification and external morphology of spiders - Introduction to the relevant literature 14:30 Lab session 20:00 Independent lab work
Tuesday, August 17 08:30 Lecture and discussion: - Diversity of spiders (introduction to the more common families) - Ecology (significance in food webs as predators and prey, ecological niches, competition, use in biological pest control) 10:00 Field trip 13:30 Lab session: spider identification and discussions (+short field trip?) 20:00 Independent lab work
Wednesday, August 18 08:30 Lecture and discussion: - Life histories (generation lengths, phenologies, reproductive efforts) - Spider behavior and evolution I (silk use, web types and web building, foraging) 10:00 Field trip 13:30 Lab session: spider identification and discussions (+short field trip?) 20:00 Independent lab work
Thursday, August 19 08:30 Lecture: - Spider behavior and evolution II (courtship and mating behavior, mating systems, sexual cannibalism, sexual conflict) - The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in spiders 10:00 Field trip 13:30 Lab session: spider identification and discussions (+short field trip?) 20:00 Independent lab work
Friday, August 20 08:30 Lecture and discussion: - Ecophysiology of spiders (senses, digestion, respiration, venoms) 10:00 Lab session: spider identification and discussions 13:30 Lab session: spider identification, discussions, and project presentations 20:00 Seminar wrap-up
Saturday, August 21 Departure shortly after breakfast