The importance of food and space in limiting web-spider densities; a test using field enclosures.

摘要: The relative roles of prey availability and habitat structure as possible limiting factors web-spider density are investigated. Spiders belonging to one three foraging classes (orb-web weavers, sheet-web or tangle-web weavers) were placed in field enclusures under constant regimes complexity. Initially the spiders enclosure dropped due cannibalism. After six eight days, however, enclosures appeared reach an equilibrium number that they could support for particular conditions provided. increased if amount supplied daily was held but substrate available which webs be attached increased. Likewise, web attachment separate experiments, also These results provide strong evidence densities web-spiders determined by some combination activity.