Pollen-eating increases the rate of spiderling survival

When I wrote my article about the significance of animals for pollen nutrient dispersal the other day, I missed this fantastic reference. Pollen-eating increases spiderling survival according to a study from 1985 [1].

Researchers found that when juvenile orb-weaving spiders appear, insect prey tends to be scarce.

It’s normal to find animals turning to protein-rich food when raising rapidly-growing young. Seabirds will depend on filter-feeding fish that are particularly energy-rich. (The fish themselves are filter-feeders nearer the bottom of the food chainA single thread in a food web illustrating the chain of animals that eat each other. At the base of the food chain are small high-energy (fast metabolism) animals and at the other end large low metabolism animals. An example would be whales eating krill that eat plankton that eat algae. Or lions that eat gazelles that eat grass. More, where energyEnergy and nutrients are the same thing. Plants capture energy from the Sun and store it in chemicals, via the process of photosynthesis. The excess greenery and waste that plants create, contain chemicals that animals can eat, in order to build their own bodies and reproduce. When a chemical is used this way, we call it a nutrient. As we More levels are greatest). Songbirds will choose to breed when there is an abundance of insect larvae.

The study points out that microscopic organic matter may in fact, be the main food for orb-weaving spiderlings. After pollen gets caught in webs, spiders even modify their behaviour, to build webs more frequently.

The consequence? It doubles the life expectancy of spiderlings.

From an environmental perspective, pollen is an enormous source of free energy and spiders are a significant frontline mechanism for restabilising ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More.

It makes me wonder. What is the role of pollen in global food chains? Is the rise in hay fever globally a symptom of broken ecosystem function(Of an ecosystem). A subset of ecosystem processes and structures, where the ecosystem does something that provides an ecosystem service of value to people. More? As there is excess pollen now, are there more spiders? Could this be to do with how pollen-eating increases the rate of spiderling survival? Was the role of other insects eating pollen, keeping spider populations in check? Could an increase in spider numbers threaten other insect populations, exacerbating the decline in ecosystem function?

1. Smith, Risa & Mommsen, Thomas. (1985). Pollen Feeding in an Orb-Weaving Spider. Science (New York, N.Y.). 226. 1330-2. 10.1126/science.226.4680.1330.