Gone with the wind: wind-induced web movement reduces kleptoparasite abundance in a golden orbweaver spider

IF 1.7 3区生物学 Q2 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

The Science of Nature Pub Date : 2026-07-08 DOI:10.1007/s00114-026-02129-9

Ingi Agnarsson, Ólafur Tómas Ólafsson, Gabríel Máni Martinsson, Ingvar Þorsteinsson, Magdalena Arinbjörnsdóttir, Matjaž Gregorič

{"title":"Gone with the wind: wind-induced web movement reduces kleptoparasite abundance in a golden orbweaver spider","authors":"Ingi Agnarsson, Ólafur Tómas Ólafsson, Gabríel Máni Martinsson, Ingvar Þorsteinsson, Magdalena Arinbjörnsdóttir, Matjaž Gregorič","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02129-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Obligate kleptoparasitic spiders (Argyrodinae, Theridiidae) live as thieves in the webs of larger hosts. Web size has long stood above all other variables in predicting how many kleptoparasites occupy a given web, best documented in the large orb webs of golden orb-weavers (Nephilidae). Yet no study has asked whether wind—a ubiquitous force acting on every aerial web—also influences kleptoparasite abundance. Prompted by the observation that exposed, wind-buffeted webs of <i>Trichonephila inaurata</i> in the spiny forest of Ifaty, southwestern Madagascar, appeared to carry fewer kleptoparasites than sheltered webs of similar size, we conducted a rapid, intensive survey of 60 webs along two transects in a single afternoon. We quantified wind effect as the maximum lateral sway of the web hub over one minute, controlling for web area. We found a strong negative effect of wind-induced web movement on kleptoparasite number; trumping the positive effect of web size. Wind effect thus emerges as a previously unrecognized axis structuring the distribution of spider kleptoparasites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"The Science of Nature","FirstCategoryId":"6","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-026-02129-9","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Obligate kleptoparasitic spiders (Argyrodinae, Theridiidae) live as thieves in the webs of larger hosts. Web size has long stood above all other variables in predicting how many kleptoparasites occupy a given web, best documented in the large orb webs of golden orb-weavers (Nephilidae). Yet no study has asked whether wind—a ubiquitous force acting on every aerial web—also influences kleptoparasite abundance. Prompted by the observation that exposed, wind-buffeted webs of Trichonephila inaurata in the spiny forest of Ifaty, southwestern Madagascar, appeared to carry fewer kleptoparasites than sheltered webs of similar size, we conducted a rapid, intensive survey of 60 webs along two transects in a single afternoon. We quantified wind effect as the maximum lateral sway of the web hub over one minute, controlling for web area. We found a strong negative effect of wind-induced web movement on kleptoparasite number; trumping the positive effect of web size. Wind effect thus emerges as a previously unrecognized axis structuring the distribution of spider kleptoparasites.

查看原文本刊更多论文

随风而逝：风引起的网运动减少了金织网蜘蛛体内盗寄生虫的数量。

专性窃寄生蜘蛛（银蛛科，银蛛科）以小偷的身份生活在较大寄主的网上。长期以来，网的大小一直是预测有多少盗寄生在一张给定的网中的最重要的变量，这在金球织网者（Nephilidae）的大圆网中得到了最好的证明。然而，没有研究询问风——一种作用于每个空中网络的无处不在的力量——是否也会影响窃盗寄生虫的数量。在马达加斯加西南部的伊法提（Ifaty）多刺的森林里，裸露的、受风吹拂的毛缕虫网携带的窃虫寄生虫似乎比同样大小的遮蔽网少，我们在一个下午对两条横断面上的60张网进行了快速、密集的调查。我们将风效应量化为网毂在一分钟内的最大横向摆动，控制网毂面积。风网运动对寄生蜂数量有较强的负向影响；胜过了网络大小的积极影响。因此，风效应作为一个先前未被认识到的轴线出现，它构成了蜘蛛偷窃寄生虫的分布。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

The Science of Nature 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The Science of Nature - Naturwissenschaften - is Springer''s flagship multidisciplinary science journal. The journal is dedicated to the fast publication and global dissemination of high-quality research and invites papers, which are of interest to the broader community in the biological sciences. Contributions from the chemical, geological, and physical sciences are welcome if contributing to questions of general biological significance. Particularly welcomed are contributions that bridge between traditionally isolated areas and attempt to increase the conceptual understanding of systems and processes that demand an interdisciplinary approach.