A Biogeographic Analysis of the Socially Polyphenic Spider <em>Anelosimus studiosus</em> in East Tennessee.

<p>Microclimates associated with environmental and geographic factors directly affect the ability of an organism to survive in a particular area. Survival is affected by: predator/prey abundance, temperature, relative humidity. A group of organisms that are particularly prone to habitat sensitivity are web-building spiders, because building the web commits them to a particular site for a period of time. <em>Anelosimus studiosus</em> is a small (~8 mm) Theridiid spider that exhibits varying degrees of sociality: a subsocial phenotype and a social phenotype. Population densities of <em>A. studiosus</em> vary significantly among seemingly suitable habitats within its range in east Tennessee. I conducted a large-scale survey of east Tennessee lake systems to establish connections between spider presence and geographic features such as aspect, slope and elevation. These geographic features were shown to have a strong impact on overall spider density.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MS (Master of Science)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - restricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Linville, Brent

• Anelosimus studiosus
• GIS
• demographic survey
• suitable habitat
• environmental correlates
• social spider
• distribution
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Life Sciences
• Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1253

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-2444