Interdemic variation of cannibalism in a wolf spider (Pardosa monticola) inhabiting different habitat types |
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Authors: | Jeroen Vanden Borre Dries Bonte Jean-Pierre Maelfait |
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Institution: | Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and;Institute of Nature Conservation, Brussels, Belgium |
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Abstract: | Abstract. 1. Cannibalism was investigated in the wolf spider Pardosa monticola (Clerck) using spiders collected from four populations with varying densities, inhabiting two different coastal dune habitat types. Sampled individuals were paired randomly and tested immediately for their cannibalism propensity. 2. The occurrence of cannibalism was found to be influenced by the size (cephalothorax width) of both the smaller and the larger spider of a pair. Larger size differences enhanced cannibalism. 3. Cannibalism rates were not significantly different in spiders from high-density compared with low-density populations. Cannibalism rates showed, however, large variability between habitat types, with higher rates in spiders from dune grasslands than from dune slacks. This is suggested to result from differences in prey availability throughout the growing season between both habitat types. 4. Different size classes of spiders did not use different microhabitats, indicating that microhabitat segregation as a cannibalism-avoidance behaviour is absent in this species. |
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Keywords: | Coastal dunes interdemic variation Lycosidae metapopulation microhabitat segregation prey availability |
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