Trophic niche, capture efficiency and venom profiles of six sympatric ant-eating spider species (Araneae: Zodariidae)
Language English Country Great Britain, England Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PubMed
29352504
DOI
10.1111/mec.14485
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- adaptation, myrmecophagy, phylogeny, prey specialization, venom,
- MeSH
- Ecosystem * MeSH
- Ants MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Spider Venoms analysis MeSH
- Spiders physiology MeSH
- Predatory Behavior MeSH
- Feeding Behavior * MeSH
- Sympatry physiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Spider Venoms MeSH
The arms race between specialist predators and their prey has resulted in the evolution of a variety of specific adaptations. In venomous predators, this can include venom composition, particularly if predators are specialized on dangerous prey. Here, we performed an integrative study using six species of highly specialized ant-eating spiders of the genus Zodarion to investigate their phylogeny, realized trophic niche, efficacy in the capture of various ant species and venom composition. Data on natural diet obtained by next-generation sequencing and field observations showed that the six Zodarion species exploit different ant species. Their phylogeny, based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes, correlated with the composition of their natural prey, indicating that closely related Zodarion species specialize on similar ant species. Prey-capture parameters differed among Zodarion species suggesting prey-specific efficacy. Similarly, the venom profiles of both low and high molecular compounds differed among species. Only the profiles of low molecular compounds were correlated with capture efficacy parameters, suggesting that the venom of Zodarion spiders contains prey-specific components. Our study suggests that Iberian Zodarion spiders are specialized on particular ant species.
Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
National Centre for Biomolecular Research Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
References provided by Crossref.org
Datasets of traits of zodariid spiders (Araneae: Zodariidae)
Dynamic evolution of size and colour in the highly specialized Zodarion ant-eating spiders
Linear Peptides-A Combinatorial Innovation in the Venom of Some Modern Spiders
Estimation of trophic niches in myrmecophagous spider predators
No ontogenetic shift in the realised trophic niche but in Batesian mimicry in an ant-eating spider
GENBANK
KY018068, KY018558, KY017529, KX954280, KX954299
