Testing for Differences in Consumer-Based Nutrient Cycling Between Male and Female Wolf Spiders (<i>Hogna carolinensis</i>).

ABSTRACT: Assessing how elements are transferred through ecosystems provides key insights into nutrient cycling, food web interactions, and ecosystem functioning. However, studies investigating the effects of intraspecific variation on organismal elemental composition remain limited, especially for trace elements. This study investigated sex-based differences in the elemental content of whole body and excreta of Hogna carolinensis (Carolina wolf spiders). We hypothesized that males and females would differ in whole-body and excreta elemental composition due to divergent life history strategies. Our findings partially supported our hypothesis. Male spiders had significantly higher whole-body concentrations of Fe, Ni, and S, whereas females had significantly more Sr. In excreta, males excreted

SUBMITTER: Herzog C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12679667 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature