Spider-web kleptoparasites as a model for studying producer-consumer interactions

In this study, we documented that the kleptoparasitic spidersArgyroes elvatus consume and assimilate web material from thehost spider Nephila clavipes. We also demonstrated quantitativelythat the amount of web material consumed by the kleptopa asiteis equivalent to the amount of insect material comsumed whenhost vigilance is low, as expected when foraging conditionsare very good. Argyrodes vary in their impact on their hosts,as they may steal large prey, small prey, or silk. This host-kieptoparasite interaction is therefore an ideal system for experimentallycramming a variable producer-consumer interaction. We compareour experimental results to published experiments showing thatthe impact of Arg on a Nephila host can be deleterious whenforaging conditions are poor.