Preference for feeding on honey solution and its effect on survival, development, and fecundity of Ebrechtella tricuspidata

Wu, Lingbing; Yao, Yun; Li, Jianyong; Chen, Jian; Zhang, Huihui; Peng, Yu

doi:10.1111/j.1570-7458.2011.01131.x

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In the miturgid spider, Cheiracanthium inclusum , supplementing the diet of food-limited individuals with nectar allows them to achieve growth and reproductive rates comparable to individuals fed higher quantities of prey (Taylor and Pfannenstiel 2009). Similar results have been found in the crab spider Ebrechtella tricuspidata (Wu et al 2011), with honey (acting as simulated nectar) increasing survival and decreasing development time. Hence, some spiders appear to be able to use the carbohydrates in nectar to compensate for a lack of overall food availability.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…We had expected carbohydrates to increase growth, but the large benefit of carbohydrates for spider growth (i.e., carbohydrate fed spiders were > 40% heavier than non-carbohydrate fed spiders on the highest protein treatment) was not expected for such an obligate carnivore. Previous studies have found that spiders, especially actively hunting species, will consume nectar in nature and that nectar can increase survival and growth during periods of limited food availability or starvation (Taylor and Pfannenstiel 2009, Wu et al 2011). Our results suggest that carbohydrates may be more than just an energy supplement during periods of starvation and that carbohydrates could be an important component of this actively hunting spider’s diet during development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbohydrates complement high protein diets to maximize the growth of an actively hunting predator

Wiggins

Wilder

2022

Preprint

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In nature, food is often variable in composition and availability. As a consequence, predators may need to seek non-prey food sources. Some predators are known to feed on nectar when food is limited. Nectar and other carbohydrate resources could also be beneficial when prey are more abundant if it helps predators balance protein-biased diets. We tested if an actively hunting predator, the jumping spider, Phidippus audax, benefited from liquid carbohydrates when prey were not limited. We also tested if the benefit of carbohydrates varied with the nutrient content of prey (i.e., from protein to lipid-biased). Spiders were reared on one of six live prey, Drosophila melanogaster, treatments that ranged from high protein to high lipid. Half of the spiders were given access to a 20% sucrose solution. After two months, we measured spider mass, cephalothorax width, instar duration, percent body fat, survival, and estimated number of prey eaten. Spiders reared on high protein diets with carbohydrates were larger and heavier than spiders on other treatments. Access to carbohydrates also increased percent body fat and survival across prey treatments. Our results suggest that carbohydrates may be a valuable component of spider diets, especially when prey have high protein and low lipid content as is commonly observed in prey in the field. Our results highlight the importance of diet balancing for predators, and that liquid carbohydrates can be an important nutrient to supplement a diet of prey rather than just being an energy supplement during periods of starvation.Significance statementProtein and lipid are thought to be the primary nutrients used by predators, including spiders. Yet, some spiders have been observed feeding on carbohydrate-rich nectar from flowers. We tested if the addition of carbohydrates to a high protein or high lipid diet affected the growth of the North American jumping spider, Phidippus audax. Spiders grew largest on high protein diets with carbohydrates, demonstrating that plant-based foods rich in carbohydrates can be important for some predators.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbohydrates complement high protein diets to maximize the growth of an actively hunting predator

Wiggins

Wilder

2022

Preprint

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“…[29] has shown that sponge discs soaked in honey solutions can be used for supplementing the diet of spiders. Here we used sponge discs to provide E. culicivora juveniles with opportunity to feed on nectar in the absence of plants.…”

Section: Cold-anthrone Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nectar Meals of a Mosquito-Specialist Spider

Kuja

Jackson

Sune

et al. 2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Evarcha culicivora, an East African jumping spider, is known for feeding indirectly on vertebrate blood by actively choosing blood-carrying mosquitoes as prey. Using cold-anthrone tests to detect fructose, we demonstrate that E. culicivora also feeds on nectar. Field-collected individuals, found on the plant Lantana camara, tested positive for plant sugar (fructose). In the laboratory, E. culicivora tested positive for fructose after being kept with L. camara or one of another ten plant species (Aloe vera, Clerodendron magnifica, Hamelia patens, Lantana montevideo, Leonotis nepetaefolia, Parthenium hysterophorus, Ricinus communis, Senna didymobotrya, Striga asiatica, and Verbena trivernia). Our findings demonstrate that E. culicivora acquires fructose from its natural diet and can ingest fructose directly from plant nectaries. However, experiments in the laboratory also show that E. culicivora can obtain fructose indirectly by feeding on prey that have fed on fructose, implying a need to consider this possibility when field-collected spiders test positive for fructose. In laboratory tests, 53.5% of 1,215 small juveniles, but only 3.4% of 622 adult E. culicivora, left with plants for 24 hours, were positive for fructose. These findings, along with the field data, suggest that fructose is especially important for early-instar juveniles of E. culicivora.

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“…Glucophagy in spiders can improve longevity and fitness and affect molting (Taylor and Pfannenstiel, 2009). Wu et al (2011) observed, in laboratory experiments, that the crab spider Ebrechtella tricuspidata (Fabricius) (Thomisidae) significantly spent more time feeding on honey solution (20%) than on water. Moreover, spiders fed on the honey solution significantly showed higher survival rates, shorter developmental time and pre-oviposition period, and laid more eggs than those spiders fed on water only.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spiders actively choose and feed on nutritious non-prey food resources

et al. 2019

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Spiders are generalist predators adapted to consume a wide range of prey although their ability to exploit nonprey foods such as pollen, nectar, and honeydew has been referred but less studied. In this work, we investigated the effect of different non-prey food items (Glucose at 0.5 M; aphid honeydew; black scale honeydew; a mixture of glucose 0.5 M, phenylalanine 0.1 mM, proline 0.1 mM, and tryptophan 0.1 mM; honey at 10%, and pollen at 10%) on the survival of immature spiders of two functional groups represented by Haplodrassus rufipes (ground hunters) and Synema globosum (ambushers), and their feeding choices, in laboratory experiments. The overall survival of both species fed on non-prey foods significantly increased compared to individuals fed on water. The black-scale honeydew was the best food for H. rufipes increasing longevity up to 117 days. The highest survival reached by S. globosum was observed when fed on a mixture of glucose 0.5 M and three amino acids. When different non-prey food items were offered together, the exploring rate was significantly higher for H. rufipes than for S. globosum. H. rufipes chose to feed on honey whereas S. globosum chose the mixture treatment. The most chosen food items corresponded with those that provided the highest longevities in both species. Our results suggest that spiders could search, recognize and actively select the most beneficial non-prey food. Habitat management practices such as maintaining weed strips in the crop may provide these valuable supplementary food resources within agroecosystems contributing for biological pest control.

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Preference for feeding on honey solution and its effect on survival, development, and fecundity of Ebrechtella tricuspidata

Cited by 11 publications

References 29 publications

Carbohydrates complement high protein diets to maximize the growth of an actively hunting predator

Carbohydrates complement high protein diets to maximize the growth of an actively hunting predator

Nectar Meals of a Mosquito-Specialist Spider

Spiders actively choose and feed on nutritious non-prey food resources

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