Animals create extended phenotypes to adaptively modify and interact with their environment. Animals also respond to changes in the environment by adaptively modifying their behavior or body in a process called phenotypic plasticity. Extended phenotypes might be especially prone to plasticity as they are often the products of behavior. We tested for plasticity in black widow web architecture in response to long-term variation in prey capture location. We also estimated genetic variation, genetic variation in plasticity, and sexual dimorphism in web architecture. We found no overall plasticity in response to variation in prey capture location. However, web architecture differed between spider families, and spider families differed in their plastic response. Web architecture also differed between male and female spiders, and male and female spiders differed in their plastic response. We conclude that black widows do not adjust web architecture in response to long-term inputs from the external environment and that internal inputs are responsible for more of the variation in web architecture than external inputs. We suggest that in order to fully understand variation in extended phenotypes, it is important to investigate potential environmental and physiological or genetic sources of variation, and to examine these potential sources at different time scales. Animals can alter their extended phenotypes in response to short- or long-term variation in the external environment, or to internal sources of variation, such as genetic variation or sexual dimorphism. Studies asking how extended phenotypes vary at more than one time scale and that simultaneously test for variation due to different sources of variation are rare. Here, we ask how an extended phenotype varies in response to environmental variation at short and long time scales, whether the extended phenotype has a genetic component of variation, and whether the extended phenotype is sexually dimorphic. We found that the extended phenotype did not respond to long-term environmental variation but did differ in response to all tested internal inputs. These results suggest that variation in extended phenotypes should be considered at multiple time scales and across external and internal sources of variation.

中文翻译：

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Latrodectus hesperus blackwidow蜘蛛（Araneae：Theridiidae）的网络结构显示出遗传变异和性别二态性，但根据捕食地点的经验没有可塑性

动物会产生扩展的表型以适应性地改变它们的环境并与之互动。动物还通过在称为表型可塑性的过程中适应性地改变它们的行为或身体来响应环境的变化。扩展表型可能特别容易具有可塑性，因为它们通常是行为的产物。我们测试了黑寡妇网络架构的可塑性，以响应猎物捕获位置的长期变化。我们还估计了网络架构中的遗传变异、可塑性遗传变异和性别二态性。我们没有发现对猎物捕获位置变化的整体可塑性。然而，蜘蛛家族之间的网络结构不同，蜘蛛家族的可塑性反应也不同。男性和女性蜘蛛的网络架构也有所不同，雄性和雌性蜘蛛的塑料反应不同。我们得出的结论是，黑寡妇不会根据外部环境的长期输入调整网络架构，并且内部输入比外部输入对网络架构的变化负责。我们建议，为了充分了解扩展表型的变异，重要的是调查变异的潜在环境和生理或遗传来源，并在不同的时间尺度上检查这些潜在来源。动物可以改变其扩展表型以响应外部环境的短期或长期变异，或内部变异源，例如遗传变异或性别二态性。询问扩展表型如何在一个以上的时间尺度上变化以及同时测试由于不同的变异来源引起的变异的研究很少见。在这里，我们询问扩展表型如何在短期和长期范围内响应环境变化而变化，扩展表型是否具有变异的遗传成分，以及扩展表型是否具有性别二态性。我们发现扩展表型对长期环境变化没有反应，但对所有测试的内部输入的反应确实不同。这些结果表明，应在多个时间尺度以及跨外部和内部变异源考虑扩展表型的变异。我们询问扩展表型如何在短期和长期范围内响应环境变化而变化，扩展表型是否具有变异的遗传成分，以及扩展表型是否具有性别二态性。我们发现扩展表型对长期环境变化没有反应，但对所有测试的内部输入的反应确实不同。这些结果表明，应在多个时间尺度以及跨外部和内部变异源考虑扩展表型的变异。我们询问扩展表型如何在短期和长期范围内响应环境变化而变化，扩展表型是否具有变异的遗传成分，以及扩展表型是否具有性别二态性。我们发现扩展表型对长期环境变化没有反应，但对所有测试的内部输入的反应确实不同。这些结果表明，应在多个时间尺度以及跨外部和内部变异源考虑扩展表型的变异。