A general discussion of the designs and functions of the silk structures spiders use to
capture prey has not been attempted since the book of Witt et al (319). Knowledge has …

Many models have been advanced to suggest how different expressions of sociality have
evolved and are maintained. However these models ignore the function of groups for the …

As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity to examine the
concept of the ecological community and the role that field experimentation can play in …

Insect Behavior is the second edition of the text that for thirty years served as the
fundamental introduction to a field of study that has been growing enormously. Today, new …

The function of spider egg sacs is analysed as structures to reduce or prevent mortality by
parasitoids and predators. The host relationships of the groups concerned are documented …

Stenophagy (narrow diet breadth) represents an extreme of trophic specialization in
carnivores, but little is known about the forces driving its evolution. We used spiders, the …

Avian social systems during the breeding season can be classified into three major types:
territorial, cooperative or communal, and colonial. This classification is based on the degree …

Colonial web-building spiders respond to trade-offs between selective forces relative to
spatial position within colonies and thus provide support for the selfish herd theory. The size …

Cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) are highly diverse from the perspective of species richness,
morphological diversity, variety of web architecture, and behavioral repertoires. The family …

Increased prey capture efficiency in colonial spiders is a consequence of the “ricochet
effect”, as prey are captured after they bounce off several webs in succession. In this study …