Spider Size, Microhabitat Selection, and Use of Food

Abstract

The spider community inhabiting Mahonia aquifolium in an English woodland was examined to record size-dependent adaptations. All size classes of spiders were distributed nonrandomly on the types of leaflets, and in winter small spiders were located in a specific site beneath leaflets. With an increase in spider body length there were increases in percentage of spiders with webs, web size, and in the proportion of spiders that were feeding. Vertical sticky traps provided data on the abundance, location and sizes of potential prey. Spider feeding was proportional to the density of potential prey. Orb webs differed from other webs in the study area due to their shorter duration and increasing catch with increasing size. The variation in the orientation of orb webs from horizontal for small webs to vertical for larger webs probably explains the increased prey-catching success of larger orb webs.