Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence for a wide range of spider families that they use nectar as supplementary resource, while pollen feeding in web-building spiders has been studied in the laboratory including a few species only. Considering that many spiders use nectar provided by plants, we can assume a greater potential for mutualistic interactions between plants and spiders as currently found in the literature as it is known, for example, for ants and plants. We certainly need more data on pollen feeding in spiders, but it is very likely that many web-building spiders use pollen when available. To judge the importance of herbivory for spiders and their classification as pure carnivores, however, we need data on the proportion incorporated into the body in relation to prey catches.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Beck MW, Connor EF (1992) Factors affecting the reproductive success of the crab spider Misumenoides formosipes: the covariance between juvenile and adult traits. Oecologia 92:287–295
Carrel JE, Burgess HK, Shoemaker DM (2000) A test of pollen feeding by a linyphiid spider. J Arachnol 28:243–244
Chen X, Chen Y, Wu L, Peng Y, Chen J, Liu F (2010) A survey of nectar feeding by spiders in three different habitats. Bull Insect 63:203–208
del Fiol F, Solveig T, Riccardo G (2007) Fungal spores and pollen as potential nutritional additives for the cross spider Araneus diadematus Clerck (Araneae, Araneidae). Bol Micológ 22:47–50
Evans HC (2013) Fungal pathogens of spiders. In: Nentwig W (ed) Spider ecophysiology. Springer, Heidelberg (this volume)
Jackson RR, Pollard SD, Nelson XJ, Edwards GB, Barrion AT (2001) Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) that feed on nectar. J Zool 255:25–29
Meehan CJ, Olson EJ, Reudink MW, Kyser TK, Curry RL (2009) Herbivory in a spider through exploitation of an ant-plant mutualism. Curr Biol 19:R892–R893
Meissle M (2013) Side effects of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins on spiders. In: Nentwig W (ed) Spider ecophysiology. Springer, Heidelberg (this volume)
Nentwig W (1986) Non-webbuilding spiders: prey specialists or generalists? Oecologia 69:571–576
Patt JM, Pfannenstiel RS (2008) Odor-based recognition of nectar in cursorial spiders. Entomol Exp Appl 127:64–71
Peterson JA, Romero SA, Harwood JD (2010) Pollen interception by linyphiid spiders in a corn agroecosystem: implications for dietary diversification and risk-assessment. Arthropod Plant Interact 4:207–217
Pollard SD, Beck MW, Dodson GN (1995) Why do male crab spiders drink nectar? Anim Behav 49:1443–1448
Ruhren S, Handel SN (1999) Jumping spiders (Salticidae) enhance the seed production of a plant with extrafloral nectaries. Oecologia 119:227–230
Smith RB, Mommsen TP (1984) Pollen feeding in an orb-weaving spider. Science 226:1330–1332
Taylor RM, Bradley RA (2009) Plant nectar increases survival, molting, and foraging in two foliage wandering spiders. J Arachnol 37:232–237
Taylor RM, Foster WA (1996) Spider nectarivory. Am Entomol 42:82–86
Taylor RM, Pfannenstiel RS (2008) Nectar feeding by wandering spiders on cotton plants. Environ Entomol 37:996–1002
Taylor RM, Pfannenstiel RS (2009) How dietary plant nectar affects the survival, growth, and fecundity of a cursorial spider Cheiracanthium inclusum (Araneae: Miturgidae). Environ Entomol 38:1379–1386
Vogelei A, Greissl R (1989) Survival strategies of the crab spider Thomisus onustus Walckenaer 1806 (Chelicerata, Arachnida, Thomisidae). Oecologia 80:513–515
Wise D (1993) Spiders in ecological webs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Wu L, Yun Y, Li J, Chen J, Zhang H, Peng Y (2011) Preference for feeding on honey solution and its effect on survival, development, and fecundity of Ebrechtella tricuspidata. Entomol Exp Appl 140:52–58
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Wolfgang Nentwig, Eva Knop, and Sebastian Schuch for the valuable discussion on herbivory in spiders.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sanders, D. (2013). Herbivory in Spiders. In: Nentwig, W. (eds) Spider Ecophysiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33989-9_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33989-9_28
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-33988-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-33989-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)