SPIDER-WEB KLEPTOPARASITES AS A MODEL FOR STUDYING PRODUCER-CONSUMER INTERACTIONS

In this study, we documented that the kleptoparasitic spiders Argyrode s elevatus consume and assimilate web material from the host spider Ne phila clavipes. We also demonstrated quantitatively that the amount of web material consumed by the kleptoparasite is equivalent to the amou nt of insect material comsumed when host vigilance is low, as expected when foraging conditions are very good. Argyrodes vary in their impac t on their hosts, as they may steal large prey, small prey, or silk. T his host-kleptoparasite interaction is therefore an ideal system fur e xperimentally examining a variable producer-consumer interaction. We c ompare our experimental results to published experiments showing that the impact of Argyrodes on a Nephila host can be deleterious when fora ging conditions are poor.