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Prey capture tactics of spiders: An analysis based on a simulation model for spider's growth
Author(s) -
Nakamura Kazuo
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1007/bf02515578
Subject(s) - predation , spider , biomass (ecology) , biology , habitat , ecology
Summary The prey capture tactics of spiders was analyzed, considering the energy gained by the capture of prey and that required for it. For the purpose of it, a growth model of spiders was constructed, expressing the flow rate of prey biomass to the spider's body by differential equations. Solving these equations under the differing values of three parameters, growth curves of spiders was obtained. These three parameters are the amount of prey biomass supplied daily to spiders, x 0 , the rate of prey capture of spiders, α, and a coefficient of the respiration rate required for the capture of prey, k . When the value of k increased, spiders could grow only at high value of x 0 . These results suggest that habitats with small prey biomass are preferred by spiders adopting a sit‐and‐wait tactics for prey capture, which requires small values of k . Wolf spiders are one of these spiders showing that tactics. On the other hand, web‐builders which require large amount of energy for spinning webs (namely, take large value of k ), are able to grow only in the habitats with large prey biomass. Each species of spiders are considered to locate in a certain point between both extremes of these tactics for the capture of prey.