Spider-web kleptoparasites as a model for studying producer-consumer interactions

Abstract

In this study, we documented that the kleptoparasitic spiders Argyrodes etevatus consume and assimilate web material from the host spider Nephila elatripts. We also demonstrated quantitatively that the amount of web material consumed by the kleptoparasite is equivalent to the amount of insect material comsumed when host vigilance is low, as expected when foraging conditions are very good. Argyrodes vary in their impact on their hosts, as they may steal large prey, small prey, or silk. This host-kleptoparasite interaction is therefore an ideal system for experimentally examining a variable producer—consumer interaction. We compare our experimental results to published experiments showing that the impact of Argyrodes on a Nephila host can be deleterious when foraging conditions are poor.