Dissertation Research:

Sexual cannibalism, the consumption of a male by a female before, during or after mating, is a dramatic example of sexual conflict and can have important impacts on male and female fitness.  Female spiders are well known for their cannibalistic tendencies.  However, despite a wide distribution of sexual cannibalism among spiders (e.g. Elgar 1992), most studies of sexual cannibalism have been conducted on web-building spiders. 
My research examines sexual cannibalism in wolf spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae).  Wolf spiders, like many other groups of cursorial spiders (e.g. fishing spiders and jumping spiders), do not build webs but rather stalk or sit-and-wait for prey.  Despite the lack of a web, wolf spiders (such as my primary study species, Hogna helluo) can capture large prey quite easily.  While this is very beneficial for females, it can make mating very dangerous for males.  I am interested in understanding when and why females will cannibalize males. 
A major component of my research involves testing the food-limitation hypothesis for sexual cannibalism.  Spiders are frequently food-limited in nature (see Wise 1993), and increased food consumption can increase female fecundity.  Hence, a hungry female may simply view a male as a meal.  However, a female’s decision may not be as simple as “I’m hungry so I should eat this male”.  Females may need to consider a number of other factors before consuming a potential mate such as: male size, male quality, abundance of males, female mating status and degree of hunger (e.g., a case of the munchies or close to starvation).  Hopefully, my research will provide insight into the decisions that females make and how they balance multiple (and sometimes conflicting) demands.

Other Research Interests:

In addition to sexual cannibalism, I am interested in a variety of other topics related to spider behavior and ecology including:

• Courtship and mating behavior
• Antipredator behavior and its consequences
• Foraging and habitat selection
• The role of food quality for spiders

I believe that collaborative research between undergraduate and graduate students is an important component of science education.  I try to collaborate with one undergraduate student each year.  Students are encouraged to develop their own research projects on topics that they find interesting.  Research projects can focus on nearly any aspect of spider behavior or ecology and need not be restricted to my specific areas of interest.  Students are advised in all aspects of the research process including: project development, implementation, data collection, analysis, presentation (e.g. at a local, regional or national meeting) and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.  Students interested in conducting their own research project should email me (wilders at muohio.edu).

Previous undergraduate collaborators:

• Douglas Kai Voris

Which factors predict female associations with males in Hogna helluo?

• Hillary Folz (published: Folz, Wilder, Persons and Rypstra In press)

Vertical effects of predator cues on habitat use and foraging of Pardosa milvina

• Amir Abtahi (published: Wilder, Abtahi and Meikle 2005)

Winter effects of fragmentation on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Academic Training:

Ph.D. in Zoology, May 2008

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

M.S. in Zoology, August 2003

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Thesis: Factors Influencing the Negative Density-Area Relationship of Peromyscus leucopus

B.A. magna cum laude in Conservation Biology, May 2001

Bradford College, Bradford, Massachusetts

Publications:

Folz, H. C., S. M. Wilder, M. H. Persons and A. L. Rypstra. 2006.  Effects of predation risk on vertical habitat use and foraging in Pardosa milvina.  Ethology 112: 1152-1158.

Wilder, S. M. and D. B. Meikle.  2006.  Seasonal effects of fragmentation on the density and reproduction of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus).  Journal of Mammalogy

Wilder, S. M., J. DeVito, M. H. Persons and A. L. Rypstra.  2005. The effects of moisture and heat on the efficacy of chemical cues used in predator detection by Pardosa milvina (Araneae, Lycosidae).  Journal of Arachnology 33: 857-861.

Wilder, S. M. and D. B. Meikle.  2005.  Reproduction, foraging and the negative density-area relationship of a generalist rodent.  Oecologia 144: 391-398.

Wilder, S. M., A. M. Abtahi and D. B. Meikle.  2005.  Effects of forest fragmentation on populations of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the winter.  American Midland Naturalist 153: 71-79.

Wilder, S. M. and A. L. Rypstra.  2005.  Use of cues of prey and prey habitat in patch selection by juvenile praying mantids (Mantodea: Mantidae).  American Midland Naturalist 153: 187-191.

Wilder, S. M. and D. B. Meikle.  2004.  Prevalence of the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in forest fragments.  Journal of Mammalogy 85: 1015-1018.

Wilder, S. M. and A. L. Rypstra.  2004.  Chemical cues from an introduced predator (Mantodea, Mantidae) reduce the movement and foraging of a native wolf spider (Araneae, Lycosidae).  Environmental Entomology 33: 1032-1036.