Symposium 1: How to make Arachnology collections data accessible for research?
Coordinators
Description
Standardizing arachnology collections data and digitizing that data for research should be a priority to facilitate future scientific endeavors in the field. In this symposium we share the practices we use in curating and digitizing arachnology collections.
Collections are the foundation of taxonomic and systematic research and, with continued advancement in molecular technology, are now regularly being used for phylogenetic, ecological and biodiversity studies. The purpose of this symposium is to provide the current practices, protocols, and data requirements that are utilized in arachnology collections worldwide to maximize the utility of these collections.
Symposium 2: Spatial Orientation in Arachnids: from Mechanisms to Behaviour
Description
Arachnids are excellent navigators: they return home, locate prey, find mates, escape competitors, and establish territories. The spatial scale of arachnid navigation varies widely - some species move only a few centimeters, others traverse tens of meters, and some travel several kilometers. Locomotory strategies are equally diverse, ranging from crawling, walking, and running to jumping and ballooning. While some arachnids are strictly day-active, others operate primarily under the dim light conditions of twilight and night. Given these diverse locomotory strategies and ecological contexts, how do arachnids know where they are and where to go? This symposium aims to bring together research on orientation behaviour and spatial cognition across arachnid taxa, as well as the sensory and physiological adaptations that support these behaviours. By linking mechanistic approaches with behaviour and ecologies, the session highlights arachnids as powerful models for understanding spatial orientation in animals.
Symposium 3: Parasitoids and Parasites of Arachnids: Hidden Players in Terrestrial Food Webs
Coordinators
Description
Studies about parasitoid wasps and flies are central to our understanding of food webs and life-history evolution. While insect-parasitoid relationships are well-documented, those attacking arachnids remain poorly studied despite their impact on community structure.
This symposium will synthesize current knowledge and outline key directions for future research, bringing together perspectives from:
Chemical Ecology Phylogeny Community Ecology Applied Entomology