Dietary supplementation with pollen enhances survival and Collembola boosts fitness of a web‐building spider

摘要: Uncertainties exist about the value of non-prey food for predators that are commonly food-limited, and dietary conditions where foods beneficial carnivorous species. Prior studies show large quantities pollen grains intercepted in webs web-building spiders. We examined nutritional benefits as a common ground-dwelling, sheet spider, Mermessus fradeorum (Berland) (Araneae: Linyphiidae). These were provided diets prey or no presence absence pollen. Treatment effects quantified by measuring predator body nutrient composition, survival, size, offspring production. Per unit dry weight, had less nitrogen lipids than prey, although relative these nutrients per meal not measured. Dietary treatments altered tissue composition spiders, leading to highest N content lipid reserves spiders with Collembola. Supplementing increased both juvenile adult greatest survivorship production was observed when Collembola supplemented Our results high-quality has positive on status survival Foraging plant material potentially promotes population growth at early late developmental stages supplementing poor-quality preventing starvation scarce.