RPG: Intraguild Predation and Competition Among Congeneric Wolf Spiders

本研究旨在探讨野生捕食（利用相似资源的不同物种之间的掠食性相互作用）在确定几种同类狼蛛及其猎物种群动态中的作用。该项目的目标是描述这些蜘蛛的生活史，并确定它们是作为竞争对手、捕食者，还是两者兼而有之。这将通过野外围栏来完成，其中不同物种的相对密度将被操纵以测试相互竞争的假设。这项研究将有助于我们对食物网动态的理解。了解蜘蛛之间的竞争和掠食性相互作用的影响，在确定食物网结构中自上而下与自下而上作用的相对作用的更大背景下具有相关性。* * *

9509151 Hodge This research proposes to examine the role of intraguild predation (predatory interactions between different species which use similar resources) in determining the population dynamics of several congeneric species of wolf spiders and their prey. The goals of the project are to characterize the life histories of these spiders, and determine whether they interact as competitots, predators, or both. This will be accomplished using field enclosures in which the relative densities of digfferent species will be manipulated to test competing hypotheses. %%% This research will contribute to our understanding of food-web dynamics. Knowlewdge of the effects of competitive and predatory interactions among spiders has relevance in the larger context of determining the relative roles of top down versus bottom up effects in structuring food webs. ***