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[Vol. 91 
examples of elegant field studies concerning habitat selection and 
survival). 
Geolycosa spp. are obligate burrowers which establish a burrow 
shortly after leaving the mother (Wallace, 1942; McCrone, 1964; 
pers. observ.) and, with the exception of short foraging sorties and 
the reproductive wanderings of mature males, live their entire lives 
within a burrow (Wallace, 1942; McCrone, 1964; McQueen, 1978; 
Humphreys, 1975; pers. observ.). Generally, newly-dispersing spi- 
derlings construct burrows in the vicinity of the maternal burrow 
(McQueen, 1978). 
Methods and Materials 
Specimens — I collected Geolycosa micanopy from Alachua, 
Levy, Marion and Putnam counties Florida during December 1982 
and March 1983 and G. turricola from Oktibbeha County, 
Mississippi in March 1983. The spiders were housed at room 
temperature (21° C) and lighting (ca. 10:14 light:dark) in individual 
translucent plastic cups containing sand. Most of the spiders 
constructed burrows in the cups. The spider’s diet consisted of 
crickets, wingless flies and tobacco budworm larvae (Heliothis sp.); 
and free water was provided. 
Several spiders had mated before collection and constructed egg 
cases in the lab. Most females held the egg case until the young 
emerged and then tolerated them on her back until they dispersed. 
However, two G. micanopy and one G. turricola cast the cases from 
the burrows. The young from these cases were used in the 
experiments because their feeding experience could be closely 
controlled. Abandoned cases were kept in individual petri dishes. 
After about two weeks, I made a small opening in the egg sac and 
the young emerged. The number of young used for the study was 
121 and 98 for the two G. micanopy egg cases and 119 for the G. 
turricola egg case. Spiderlings congregated on a cotton ball placed 
near the egg case. Each individual was placed into a glass vial within 
one week of emergence and held without food (water provided via 
cotton swab) for about two weeks, at which time the experiments 
began. 
Experimental design and hypotheses — Three experiments were 
designed to test hypotheses concerning independence among 
dichotomous grouping variables arranged in three three-way 
