How spiders can harm and help flowering plants

Date:

April 10, 2018

Source:

University of Zurich

Summary:

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now researchers show that this principle also holds for crab spiders and flowering plants. While it's true that the spiders do eat or drive away useful pollinators such as bees, they're also attracted by floral scent signals to come and help if the plant is attacked by insects intent on eating it.

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Crab spiders sitting on the flowers keep away bees and also plant-eating insects from visiting the plants.

Credit: Anina C. Knauer