Spiders as natural DNA samplers recover arthropod community diversity and biotic interactions across space and time
Sven Weber, Anja Carina Melcher, Jerilyn Calaor, Susan Rachel Kennedy, Domagoj Gajski, Tim Hoerrmann, Arndt Schmidt, Lilly Melzl, Ferdinand Meiss, Julian Hans, Lisa Mahla, Manuel Stothut, Danilo Harms, Klaus Birkhofer, Evan P. Economo, , Henrik Krehenwinkel
This study shows spiders can effectively sample arthropod DNA from their gut contents, revealing community diversity and biotic interactions comparable to traditional methods and preserving historical data up to 20 years.
bioRxiv · Oct 6, 2026 · PreprintEcology