Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships among arthropod predators
Data files
May 02, 2024 version files 991.87 KB
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field_data_analyses.html
529.77 KB
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host_growth_rate.csv
47.56 KB
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prey_consum_exp_webs.csv
28.41 KB
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prey_count_empty_web.csv
5.98 KB
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prey_count_exp_webs.csv
56.75 KB
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prey_size_bin_exp_webs.csv
320.33 KB
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README.md
3.08 KB
Abstract
Symbiotic relationships shape ecological communities and often involve more than two species. Yet few experimental studies examine the impact of symbioses involving three species, particularly any mediating role of third parties, and none involving symbioses of predators.
We investigated experimentally the synergistic and antagonistic fitness effects of three symbiotic spider predators across a broad latitudinal range and involving different species combinations.
The three-dimensional web-complex of Cyrtophora spiders is a habitat patch to different associates – species of Argyrodes and web-building Leucauge spider guests. Our field experiments, which manipulated the presence of each guest species and determined the subsequent host weight change, revealed a remarkable consistency in fitness outcomes across the three populations, with the consequences of the interactions between two species depending upon the services provided by a third.
Cyrtophora hosts intercepted more prey when web-building Leucauge guests were present and thus gained more weight. In contrast, Argyrodes guests exerted a fitness cost on their Cyrtophora host, but only when Leucauge guests were absent. A comparison of the prey consumed by Cyrtophora hosts and Argyrodes guests revealed that their diets (reflected in the size of prey) overlapped less in the presence of Leucauge web-building guests.
Our novel experimental study highlights the importance of exploring synergistic effects in multi-species symbioses.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vq83bk40h
The data are derived from field experiments that manipulated the presence and absence of the spider guests Argyrodes spp. and Leucage spp. that cohabit with the host spider Cyrtophora.
Description of the data and file structure
The following provides details of the data files:
Host_growth_rate.csv
Site: location of experiment
web_id: identification of Cyrtophora web
date_start: date the experiment started
date_end: date the experiment finished
Arg: experimental treatment with Argyrodes guests present or absent on the web of Cyrtophora
weight_start: weight (g) of Cyrtophora host at the start of the experiment
weight_end: weight (g) of Cyrtophora host at the end of the experiment
Leu_LeuWeb: experimental treatment with (i) Leucage spider and her web present; (ii) Leucage spider absent but web present; (iii) Both Leucage spider and her web absent
Prey_consum_exp_webs.csv
Site: location of experiment
web_id: identification of Cyrtophora web
date: date of data collection
subject: : identify of spider consuming prey (host = Cyrtophera spp.; guest = Argyrodes spp.)
Leu_LeuWeb: experimental treatment with (i) Leucage spider and her web present; (ii) Leucage spider absent but web present; (iii) Both Leucage spider and her web absent
Size: size range of prey (cm)
Prey_count_empty_web.csv
Site: location of experiment
web_id: identification of Cyrtophora web
date: date of data collection
web_surface: area of host web (cm squared)
obs_time: duration of observations (hours)
total_number: number of prey items captured (per hour)
prey_count_exp_webs.csv
Site: location of experiment
web_id: identification of Cyrtophora web
date_census: date of census
date_start: date experiment started
date_end: date experiment ended
Arg: experimental treatment with Argyrodes guests present or absent on the web of Cyrtophora
Leu_LeuWeb: experimental treatment with (i) Leucage spider and her web present; (ii) Leucage spider absent but web present; (iii) Both Leucage spider and her web absent
web_surface: area of host web (cm squared)
obs_time: duration of observations (hours)
total_number: number of prey items captured (per hour)
prey_size_bin_exp_webs.csv
Site: location of experiment
web_id: identification of Cyrtophora web
Arg: experimental treatment with Argyrodes guests present or absent on the web of Cyrtophora
Leu_LeuWeb: experimental treatment with (i) Leucage spider and her web present; (ii) Leucage spider absent but web present; (iii) Both Leucage spider and her web absent
Size: size range of prey (cm)
Count: number of observations
Code/Software
field_data_analyses.html
This file provides a full description of the analysis conducted in R.
The data were collected from field experiments that manipulated the presence/absence of Argyrodes and Leucage guests on the webs of their Cyrtophora host. The data were analysed using the R platform. Details can be found in the published paper describing these experiments.
- Peng, Po; Stuart‐Fox, Devi; Su, Yong‐Chao et al. (2024). Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships between arthropod predators: Synergy in a three‐way spider symbiosis. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14575