Population and individual trophic niche of two sympatric cobweb spiders, Nihonhimea tesselata and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae)

Pitilin, Renan B.; Moura, Rafael Rios; Gonzaga, Marcelo O.

doi:10.1636/0161-8202-48.1.59

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Therefore, spider foraging activities were likely constrained by mechanisms other than prey distribution. In addition, individuals captured three times more prey orders in the Atlantic Forest than previously reported for agricultural environments (Breene et al, 1993; Moreno‐Mendoza et al, 2012; Nyffeler et al, 1988), but it was similar to the number of prey orders found on a Eucalyptus plantation, although half of the orders are different (Pitilin et al, 2020). Thus, predator–prey interactions are likely can be more diverse or involve distinct subsets of prey in conservation areas.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…Most species are described as euryphagous, while only a few are classified as stenophagous (Pekár et al, 2012). In agricultural environments, Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Bertkau, 1880) captures mostly aphids and ants but can consume other prey types less often, such as stink bugs (Breene et al, 1993; Moreno‐Mendoza et al, 2012; Nyffeler et al, 1988; Pitilin et al, 2020). However, in conservation areas, T. haemorrhoidale may intercept a broader range of prey types that are intercepted in the web.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individual diet specialization in the spider Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Bertkau, 1880) (Theridiidae)

et al. 2023

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Individual specialization (IS) in resource use is common within populations of several animal species because some individuals can be more efficient than others in obtaining specific food items. Spiders are usually classified as euryphagous predators, but the broad diet of populations may result from many individuals specializing in capturing different types of prey. Empirical evidence supporting this pattern, however, is still scarce. In this study, we hypothesized that (1) the diet of individuals of Tidarren haemorrhoidale is more restricted than the population's diet and (2) individual diet restrictions are not determined by the spatial distribution of prey types. We collected the prey remains of 74 webs of females in a conservation area of the Atlantic Forest. Our results indicated that T. haemorrhoidale could be considered a euryphagous predator because its diet comprised Opiliones, Diplopoda, and eight orders of insects. However, spiders exhibited moderate and high degrees of IS for prey size and taxa, respectively. There was no modularity for both prey attributes in the food web, but there was a medium nestedness. Most individuals captured ants, but additional prey taxa were of different orders. There was no correlation between the dissimilarity of prey taxa and the distances between the webs, suggesting that IS did not occur based on the spatial distribution of their potential prey. The diversity of prey defensive strategies may induce spiders to perform specific behavioral routines after prey interception. If this occurs, cognitive constraints may limit their ability to use different capture routines efficiently. Our study supports the predictions of individual niche specialization theory for a euryphagous spider species and highlights the potential of spiders as a study model to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%