Can ant-eating Zodarion spiders (Araneae: Zodariidae) develop on a diet optimal for polyphagous predators
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Physiological Entomology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | Diet; myrmecophagy; nutrition ; stenophagy; trade-offs |
| Description | Little attention is paid to the behavioural and physiological adaptations of ant-eating predators. It is expected that there should be a strong selection for traits related to prey handling, leading to the evolution of morphological, behavioural and nutritional adaptations. Such adaptations may then entail trade-offs in handling and utilization of alternative prey. To investigate behavioural as well as nutritional adaptations and the occurrence of the corresponding trade-offs in two ant-eating spiders of the genus Zodarion [ Zodarion atlanticum Pekár & Cardoso and Zodarion germanicum (C. L. Koch)], spiders are reared on two diets: ants (i.e. their preferred prey) and fruit flies (i.e. an alternative prey that is nutritionally optimal for euryphagous spiders). Food consumption is observed and several fitnessrelated life-history parameters are measured. Although spiders readily accept ants, more than one-third of 35 spiders refuse to consume fruit flies and starve. |
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