| Spiders are important predators in most terrestrial habitats. Forest orb-weavers in the genus Micrathena were studied to better understand their web building habits and relationship to habitat disturbance caused by prescribed fire. Micrathena gracilis and Micrathena mitrata were collected and observed in burned and unburned forest habitats and measurements were taken on their webs, including size of web, distance from the ground, and presence of prey items. Micrathena gracilis webs were significantly larger and higher than were M. mitrata webs. Micrathena gracilis prey items were dominated by Diptera, whereas M. mitrata prey included substantial numbers of Coleoptera in addition to Diptera. Micrathena gracilis were most abundant in the unburned forest but M. mitrata were equally abundant in both habitats. These results indicate that while these closely related species of orb-weavers share similar habitats, they each fill a unique ecological niche. |
