Ecology of the cave-surface behavioral syndrome of Puerto Rican whip spiders

Background/Question/Methods

Rarely do two environments transition as abruptly and with such starkly different evolutionary pressures as those of cave and surface habitats, making them a particularly interesting system to study evolution, ecology, and behavior. In numerous species, however, there are no physical barriers between cave and surface environment and considerable gene flow may occur across habitats. In 2012 I conducted several behavioral trials to assess differences in behavioral tendencies between whip spider (Phrynus longipes) populatiosn from cave and surface environments in Puerto Rico. Animals were surveyed and included in video recorded behavioral trials to assess behavioral tendency.

Results/Conclusions

Behavioral tendencies correlate within individuals and populations, indicating that a cave-surface behavioral syndrome exists. Future research will examine the effect of gene flow and phylogeography on behavioral phenotypes and shed light on how the agricultural history of Puerto Rico has shaped these populations.