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Mortality risk of rapid growth in the spider Nephila clavipes

  1. Higgins L. E.1,†,
  2. Rankin M. A.2

Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2001.00491.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 15, Issue 1, pages 24–28, February 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

L. E., H. and M. A., R. (2001), Mortality risk of rapid growth in the spider Nephila clavipes. Functional Ecology, 15: 24–28. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2001.00491.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Entomology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA 01003, USA, and

  2. 2

    Department of Zoology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

  1. †

    Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 20 DEC 2001
  2. Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001

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Keywords:

  • Aranea;
  • fitness costs;
  • growth rates;
  • plasticity;
  • Tetragnathidae

Summary

  • 1
     Female Nephila clavipes from univoltine populations have greatly reduced reproductive success if they grow slowly and reach maturity late in the growing season. Although such fitness costs are expected to select for rapid increases in mass, several authors have presented models and data describing physiological costs of rapidly increasing mass.
  • 2
     In order to test the hypothesis that there are inherent costs of rapid growth (increasing mass), laboratory-reared juveniles of the orb-weaving spider Nephila clavipes were randomly assigned to receive daily feedings ranging from 2·5% to 23% of their initial mass.
  • 3
     Spiders receiving higher amounts of food were more likely to die at or immediately before the next moulting cycle.
  • 4
     These results indicate that there may be inherent physiological costs of rapidly increasing mass. In opportunistic feeders such as spiders that tend to gorge when prey are abundant, this could present a real cost to a common foraging strategy.
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