UCB Moorea Class: Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands

Jumping spiders (of the family Salticidae) are found around the globe including on the island of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Unlike continents, an island system such as Mo’orea often magnifies the effects of an invasive species due to their increased frequency of unfilled ecological niches. In my distributional study most species I encountered were non-native, and in my behavioral study I investigated the potential for correlation between a species’ dominance in elevation-divided habitats and observed aggressive interspecies interactions. A total of 206 Salticidae were collected, 86 of which were utilized in my behavioral study. Of the eight jumping spider species encountered (six known, two unknown) I found there was no strong correlation between a species’ behavior towards other spiders and its distribution. Future studies could be directed concerning how spider behaviors besides interspecies aggression influence the dominance of that species in a given habitat.