Prey nutrient composition has different effects on Pardosa wolf spiders with dissimilar life histories

Abstract

The nutritional composition of prey is known to influence predator life histories, but how the life history strategies of predators affect their susceptibility to nutrient imbalance is less investigated. We used two wolf spider species with different life histories as model predators: Pardosa amentata, which have a fixed annual life cycle, and Pardosa prativaga, which reproduce later and can extend development across 2 years. We fed juvenile spiders of the two species ad libitum diets of one of six Drosophila melanogaster fly types varying in lipid:protein composition during three instars, from the start of the second instar until the fifth instar moult. We then tested for interactions between predator species and prey nutrient composition on several life history parameters. P. amentata completed the three instars faster and grew larger carapaces and heavier body masses than P. prativaga, but the two species responded differently to variation in prey lipid:protein ratio. Duration of the instars increased when feeding on protein-poor prey in P. amentata, but was unaffected by diet in P. prativaga. Likewise, the effect of diet on body composition was more pronounced in P. amentata than in P. prativaga. Prey nutrient composition thus affected the two species differently. During macronutrient imbalance P. amentata appear to prioritize high growth rates while experiencing highly variable body compositions, whereas P. prativaga maintain more constant body compositions and have slower growth. These can be seen as different consequences of a fixed annual and a plastic annual-biennial life cycle.