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Self-made shelters protect spiders from predation
Carryn Manicom1, Lin Schwarzkopf, Ross A Alford
1School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia. carryn.manicom@jcu.edu.au
Summary
Web spiders use shelters to avoid predation by scincid lizards. Sheltered spiders survived, while exposed spiders were significantly reduced, demonstrating shelter effectiveness in predator avoidance and population regulation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Animal Behavior
- Predator-Prey Dynamics
Background:
- Animals often modify environments to mitigate predation risk.
- The efficacy of these anti-predator behaviors and their population-level impacts are seldom rigorously tested.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of self-constructed shelters used by web spiders.
- To determine if shelters provide protection against natural enemies, specifically scincid lizards.
Main Methods:
- A manipulative field experiment was conducted using 21 replicated 200-m² plots.
- Scincid lizards were either included or excluded from plots.
- Spiders were categorized as 'exposed' (uncovered) or 'sheltered' (in cocoons, debris, or burrows).
Main Results:
- Exposed spiders were significantly impacted by the presence of scincid lizards.
- Lizard presence reduced the abundance of exposed spiders by approximately two-thirds.
- Sheltered spiders showed no significant change in abundance, indicating successful predator avoidance.
Conclusions:
- Shelter construction is an effective mechanism for web spiders to reduce predation risk.
- Sheltered spiders can coexist with predators, highlighting the importance of behavioral adaptations.
- Shelter use has significant consequences for spider population density and distribution.
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