Abstract
The agonistic behaviour of two species of colonial spiders, Metepeira sp. a (atascadero), and M. incrassata, from desert and tropical habitats, respectively, in Mexico, were compared by observing induced interactions between immature and/or female spiders at natural web sites. Individuals of the desert species showed a greater tendency to escalate to potentially damaging behaviour, whereas the tropical species exhibited primarily low-intensity aggressive behaviour. In both species, greater body mass determined which spider gained possession of the web in unequally matched contests, whereas in equally matched contests, web residents won more often than did intruders. Desert spider conflicts were of significantly longer duration than tropical spider conflicts. The significance of these results for understanding the evolution of social behaviour in spiders is discussed.
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