Abstract
The Negev Desert web-building spider Stegodyphus lineatus built webs preferentially in shrubs with dense branch architecture and chose the parts of shrubs with greater potential availability of prey. Spiders in the habitat with greater prey availability and more abundant annual vegetation grew larger and reproduced earlier. Food-supplemented spiders reproduced earlier and had more young than control spiders in either habitat, providing evidence for the pivotal role of food supply in this spider's life history. Dispersal of spiders was more frequent in the habitat with greater availability of prey. This movement pattern may be a response to local changes in the distribution of flying insects. -from Authors
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 353-363 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Animal Ecology |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 1993 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Animal Science and Zoology