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Web-building spiders attract prey by storing decaying matter
journal contribution
posted on 2004-01-01, 00:00 authored by B Bjorkman-Chiswell, M Kulinski, R Muscat, K Nguyen, K Norton, Matthew SymondsMatthew Symonds, G Westhope, M ElgarThe orb-weaving spider Nephila edulis incorporates into its web a band of decaying animal and plant matter. While earlier studies demonstrate that larger spiders utilise these debris bands as caches of food, the presence of plant matter suggests additional functions. When organic and plastic items were placed in the webs of N. edulis, some of the former but none of the latter were incorporated into the debris band. Using an Y-maze olfactometer, we show that sheep blowflies Lucilia cuprina are attracted to recently collected debris bands, but that this attraction does not persist over time. These data reveal an entirely novel foraging strategy, in which a sit-and-wait predator attracts insect prey by utilising the odours of decaying organic material. The spider's habit of replenishing the debris band may be necessary to maintain its efficacy for attracting prey.
History
Journal
NaturwissenschaftenVolume
91Issue
5Pagination
245 - 248Publisher
SpringerLocation
Heidelberg, GermanyPublisher DOI
ISSN
0028-1042eISSN
1432-1904Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2004, SpringerUsage metrics
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