Venom gland size and venom complexity-essential trophic adaptations of venomous predators: A case study using spiders

• Authors: PEKÁR Stanislav; BOČÁNEK Ondřej; MICHÁLEK Ondřej; PETRÁKOVÁ Lenka; HADDAD Charles; ŠEDO Ondrej; ZDRÁHAL Zbyněk
• Year of publication: 2018
• Type: Article in Periodical
• Magazine / Source: MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Science
• Web: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.14859
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.14859
• Keywords: Araneae;venom;gland
• Description: Specialized predators possess a variety of adaptations. In venomous predators, this may include the size of the venom gland and venom composition. It is expected that due to different foraging strategies, predators with a wide trophic niche (generalists) should possess larger venom glands that contain more diversified components than predators with a narrow niche (specialists). We focused on spiders, as the most diversified group of venomous predators, in which a wide variety of trophic strategies have evolved.

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