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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Sex And Starvation Influences Latrotoxin Expression In The Brown Widow Spider, Mattie Harris
Sex And Starvation Influences Latrotoxin Expression In The Brown Widow Spider, Mattie Harris
Honors College Theses
Widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) are well-known for their potent venom. Seven latrotoxin proteins constitute the main components of widow spider venom. The vertebrate specific (α-latrotoxin) and insect specific (α-latroinsectotoxin) latrotoxins have been well-characterized with respect to structure and function. Regulation of latrotoxin gene expression is not well understood but sex and feeding could be factors influencing production. In this study, I used quantitative qPCR to (1) characterize the expression patterns of both the insect and vertebrate specific latrotoxins in male and female brown widow spiders (Latrodectus geometricus) to characterize sex-biased expression and to (2) study expression patterns …
Inbreeding Depression In The Introduced Spider Latrodectus Geometricus, Margaret A. Howard
Inbreeding Depression In The Introduced Spider Latrodectus Geometricus, Margaret A. Howard
Honors College Theses
The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) is thought to be native to South America or Southern Africa, but its distribution has expanded to most continents by human introduction. In the continental USA, L. geometricus was first documented in south Florida in the 1930’s. In the early 2000’s a population expansion occurred, and this species is now found in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and southern California. Introduced species may face many obstacles when establishing a new population. One common obstacle might be severe inbreeding following founder events or genetic bottlenecks. The purpose of this study was …
The Prevalence And Effect Of Wolbachia Infection On The Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus Geometricus), Brittany Dane' Arrington
The Prevalence And Effect Of Wolbachia Infection On The Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus Geometricus), Brittany Dane' Arrington
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wolbachia was recently identified in the Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus). This symbiont has not previously been found in this genus, therefore the consequences on the host’s population dynamics are unknown. The frequency of endosymbiont infection can provide insight into the population dynamics of the host as this bacteria is known to alter host life history. In my 1st chapter I determine the prevalence of Wolbachia pipentis infection in in the Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus) from five locations in the Southeastern United States. Infection frequency differed significantly among sampling locations, ranging from 20% to …