To capture prey, orb-web spiders create complex traps whose efficiency is contingent on a variety of factors that are not yet completely understood, including web size, competition for food, sun exposure, presence of web decorations and web orientation. Here we evaluate such factors in the field and ask which of them are the most influential variables affecting the quantity of prey captured in Argiope argentata webs. Webs were observed during the morning and the number of prey attached to each web was counted. Using the approach of information criteria based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) values of each candidate model, we averaged the parameters of a global model, finding that the only predictor which 95% confidence interval did not include zero, was exposure to sunlight (whether the web is continuously shaded or continuously exposed to sunlight). All other variables did not explain variation in prey capture. We conclude that only sun exposure has an important effect on orb-web spiders’ prey capture efficiency in A. argentata. We additionally argue that silk decorations have different functions depending on the habitat and the species.

中文翻译：

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测试关于球网蜘蛛捕食效率的传统假设

为了捕捉猎物，球网蜘蛛会制造复杂的陷阱，其效率取决于尚未完全了解的各种因素，包括网的大小、对食物的竞争、阳光照射、网装饰的存在和网的方向。在这里，我们在现场评估这些因素，并询问其中哪些是影响 Argiope argentata 网中捕获的猎物数量的最有影响的变量。早上观察网，并计算附着在每个网上的猎物数量。使用基于每个候选模型的 Akaike 信息标准 (AIC) 值的信息标准方法，我们对全局模型的参数进行平均，发现唯一一个 95% 置信区间不包括零的预测变量，是否暴露在阳光下（网页是否持续被遮蔽或持续暴露在阳光下）。所有其他变量都不能解释猎物捕获的变化。我们得出的结论是，只有阳光照射对 A. argentata 中的圆网蜘蛛的猎物捕获效率有重要影响。我们还认为丝绸装饰品根据栖息地和物种的不同而具有不同的功能。