Spiders may not be the pure predators we generally believe, after a study found that some make up a quarter of their diet by eating pollen. Dr Dirk Sanders of the University of Exeter demonstrated that orb web spiders – like the common garden variety – choose to eat pollen even when insects are available. Spider webs snare insect prey, but can also trap aerial plankton like pollen and fungal spores. Dr Sanders, alongside Mr Benjamin Eggs from the University of Bern, conducted feeding experiments and a stable isotope analysis on juvenile spiders to see whether they incorporate plant...
Arguably the creepiest of the creepy crawlies, you either love or loathe spiders! Pop along to Box 16 and meet some of the most amazing species found locally.
