Habitat productivity constrains the distribution of social spiders across continents - case study of the genus Stegodyphus.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Sociality has evolved independently multiple times across the spider phylogeny, and despite wide taxonomic and geographical breadth the social species are characterized by a common geographical constrain to tropical and subtropical areas. Here we investigate the environmental factors that drive macro-ecological patterns in social and solitary species in a genus that shows a Mediterranean-Afro-Oriental distribution (Stegodyphus). Both selected drivers (productivity and seasonality) may affect the abundance of potential prey insects, but seasonality may further directly affect survival due to mortality caused by extreme climatic events. Based on a comprehensive dataset including information about the distribution of three independently derived social species and 13 solit

SUBMITTER: Majer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3599804 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature