According to life‐history theory, growth rates are subject to strong directional selection due
to reproductive and survival advantages associated with large adult body size. Yet, growth is …

▪ Abstract Cannibalism among generalist predators has implications for the dynamics of
terrestrial food webs. Spiders are common, ubiquitous arthropod generalist predators in …

Spiders represent a diverse, widespread and abundant group of carnivores. Studying the
nutritional ecology of spiders is critical because it can aid in understanding the evolution of …

Summary 1 Body condition (defined as the relative amount of energy reserves in the body) is
an animal trait with strong ecological implications. In some animal taxa (eg arthropods), the …

The reach of artificial light at night (ALAN) is growing rapidly around the globe, including the
increasing use of energy‐efficient LED lights. Many studies document the physiological …

Optimality models predict that diet-induced bivariate reaction norms for age and size at
maturity can have diverse shapes, with the slope varying from negative to positive. To …

Sexual cannibalism is a well-known example for sexual conflict and has many facets that
determine the costs and benefits for the cannibal and the victim. Here, I focus on species in …

Spiders are highly efficient predators in possession of exquisite sensory capacities for
ambushing prey, combined with machinery for launching rapid and determined attacks. As a …

Sexual cannibalism varies widely among spiders, but no general evolutionary hypothesis
has emerged to explain its distribution across taxa. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) also …

Sexual cannibalism particularly before mating is costly for the male victim but also for the
female aggressor if she risks remaining unmated. The aggressive spillover hypothesis …