Body size and tree species composition determine variation in prey consumption in a forest-inhabiting generalist predator

• Published in: bioRxiv
• Main Authors: Irene M Van Schrojenstein Lantman, Vesterinen, Eero J, Hertzog, Lionel R, Martel, An, Verheyen, Kris, Lens, Luc, Bonte, Dries
• Format: Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 22.05.2020
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Body size; Community composition; Diet; Environmental conditions; Forests; Habitat fragmentation; Herbivores; Predator-prey interactions; Predators; Prey; Size distribution; Specialization; Species composition; Species richness; Spiders; Understory; Variation
• DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.20.105866

Due to physiological, behavioural or ecological mechanisms, generalist predators may show individual variation in prey consumption. This individual specialization can result from both environmental and trait variation, with especially body size strongly connected to diet. Environmental variation can thus affect consumer-predator interactions by the joint action of changes in prey community composition and predator size. We studied whether and how changes in forest environmental conditions, such as variation in tree species identity and forest fragmentation, affect predator-prey interactions. More specifically we anticipate tree diversity or spatial context to impact the predator diet directly via prey availability and prey size, but also indirectly through shifts in predator size. We used the orb-weaving spider Araneaus diadematus inhabiting forest fragments differing in edge distance, tree diversity and tree species as a model species. The species' diet was quantified by an unprecedented metabarcoding campaign. A total of 983 spiders were subjected to molecular diet analysis, from in total of 53 forest plots. A. diadematus showed to be a generalist predator, with 298 prey items detected in total. At the individual level, we found large spiders to consume less different species, but consistently larger species. Tree species composition affected both prey species richness and size in the spider's diet, although tree diversity per se had no influence on the consumed prey. Edges had an indirect effect on the spider diet as spiders closer to the forest edge were larger and therefore consumed larger prey. We attribute the structural complexity of the understory related to tree species composition as a driver of prey composition and its size distribution as reflected in the predator's diet. Although large spiders may specialize on large prey, we found no firm evidence for either ecological opportunism or strong specialization. Finally, we conclude that intraspecific size variation and tree species composition define the consumed prey of this generalist predator, and that the many feeding interactions of this spider underlie the species' success in a large diversity of habitats. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.