一种络新妇蜘蛛与食物量相关的聚集现象

Females of the species, Nephila clavipes (L.),sometimes build their webs in interconnected clusters. Aggregations in a Peruvian population of this spider were located in areas of high insect activity. This locale enabled individuals in aggregations to capture more prey than solitary individuals. Experiments with prey removal and prey supplementation verified that a high prey capture rate was essential in maintaining such groups. Agonistic interactions frequently preceded departure of a spider from a cluster. These data imply that high prey availability is a prerequisite for the evolution of more complex sociality in Nephila and other similar spider species.

一种络新妇蛛Nephila clavipes(L.)的雌性,有时会将她们的网编织成相互连接的集群。这种蜘蛛种群在秘鲁的聚集地一般位于昆虫高度活跃的地区。这种场所使群居的个体比单独的个体能够捕获更多的猎物。去除猎物和补充猎物的实验证明，高捕获率对于维持这样的群体是必不可少的。在蜘蛛离开蜘蛛群之前，经常会有激励性的相互作用。这些数据表明，高猎物可用性是Nephila和其他相近的蜘蛛种类进化出更复杂的社会性的先决条件。

Rypstra, A.L., 1985. Aggregations of Nephila clavipes (L.)(Araneae, Araneidae) in relation to prey availability. Journal of Arachnology, 71-78.