SPIDER COURSE
Stone Lab, Lake Erie Rich Bradley will be offering a course this summer in basic spider biology at the Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie. The intent of this course is to provide an overview of Ohio’s spider fauna, an understanding of spider behavior, and an appreciation of the important role that spiders play in our environment. Students will be introduced to the diversity of spiders, their structure, behavior, and ecology. We will observe living spiders building their webs and capturing prey. A variety of field and laboratory equipment will be used to collect and identify spiders. We will learn the basic techniques of spider study (sweep nets, hand capture, pitfall traps, Berlese funnel extraction, etc.). The shores of Lake Erie are famous for both the abundance and variety of spiders. We will observe living spiders as well as study photographs and specimens of spiders to learn about their anatomy. Students in this course will learn how to identify spiders and become familiar with the fourteen most common spider families in Ohio.
The course runs from 3-9 August 2008, and is intended for upper-division undergraduates or graduate students. Information on the Stone Lab may be found at: http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/stonelab/ and a detailed description of the course is at http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/stonelab/courses/?course=52 Students not enrolled in a college program may still take the course under special arrangements (made through Stone Lab).
Rich Bradley — (bradley.10@osu.edu);(740) 725-6266; fax
