Biodiversity Survey of Flower-Visiting Spiders Based on Literature Review and Field Study

Abstract

Abstract Many arthropods exhibit flower-visiting behavior, including a variety of spider species. However, as spiders are assumed to be strictly predatory, flower-visiting spiders are an often neglected group. We conducted a systematic biodiversity study of flower-visiting spiders based on published papers and field surveys. Most previous studies have focused on the herbivorous behavior of flower-visiting spiders (nectivory or pollinivory) and their effects on host flowers (tritrophic interactions with flower-visiting insects). In our field survey, we utilized standard transect walks (active sampling) and colored pan traps (passive sampling) to investigate species occurrence, diurnal and seasonal variation, and flower color preference of flower-visiting spiders. From the transect walks, crab spider species were found to be the dominant flower-visiting spiders and, based on all spider species, juvenile visitors were significantly more common than adults. Furthermore, in terms of spider number and species richness, tulips were the preferred flower to visit. For the pan traps, wolf spiders were found to be the dominant spider species. No significant differences were observed in the number of spiders caught in different colored pans, suggesting that color may not be an important flower trait in regard to spider preference. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to propose the term ‘flower-visiting spiders’ and conduct a systematic investigation of their diversity. However, this is preliminary research and further studies are required, especially as biodiversity is often closely linked to survey sites and ecotopes.