Nutrient intake determines post-maturity molting in the golden orb-web spider Nephila pilipes (Araneae: Araneidae).
While molting occurs in the development of many animals, especially arthropods, post-maturity molting (PMM, organisms continue to molt after sexual maturity) has received little attention. The mechanism of molting has been studied intensively; however, the mechanism of PMM remains unknown although it is suggested to be crucial for the development of body size. In this study, we investigated factors that potentially induce PMM in the golden orb-web spider Nephila pilipes, which has the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism among terrestrial animals. We manipulated the mating history and the nutrient consumption of the females to examine whether they affect PMM. The results showed that female spiders under low nutrition were more likely to molt as adults, and mating had no significant influence on the occurrence of PMM. Moreover, spiders that underwent PMM lived longer than those that did not and their body sizes were significantly increased. Therefore, we concluded that nutritional condition rather than mating history affect PMM.
['Cheng|Ren-Chung|RC|', 'Zhang|Shichang|S|', 'Chen|Yu-Chun|YC|', 'Lee|Chia-Yi|CY|', 'Chou|Yi-Ling|YL|', 'Ye|Hui-Ying|HY|', 'Piorkowski|Dakota|D|', 'Liao|Chen-Pan|CP|', 'Tso|I-Min|IM|0000-0002-7296-5595']
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena D000818:Animals D004032:Diet D005260:Female D018978:Molting D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal D012741:Sexual Maturation D013112:Spiders D013624:Taiwan
Sexual dimorphism Arthropod development Ecdysis Exoskeleton Polyandry