A Literature Review of Symbiotic Relationships between Spiders and Other Organisms
Date
3-6-2026
Faculty Mentor
Lori Tolley-Jordan, Biology
Loading...
Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
1:30-1:40pm | Merrill Hall
Description
Although parasitism and predation are known forms of antagonism within the spider community, there is little understanding of other forms of symbiotic interactions between spiders and other organisms. I selected peer-reviewed scientific articles using the key words spiders, commensalism, mutualism, and relationship. Mutualism is defined as an interaction in which both parties' benefit; commensalism is defined as an interaction in which one party benefits while the other receives no benefits or harm; parasitism is defined as an interaction in which one party benefits and the other party is harmed. I evaluated research approaches (survey, nonmanipulated hypothesis field testing, manipulated laboratory testing, phylogeny, and modeling) to determine which category interactions between spiders and other organisms (plants, other spiders, fungi, insect, or other animals) fell. I also evaluated whether or not the interaction fell on a sliding scale that deviated into another form of symbiosis. I found 50 articles ranging from 1987 to 2024 and most studies are from a global perspective, including America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Most studies (80%) used a nonmanipulated hypothesis field testing approach followed by manipulated lab testing, surveys, modeling, and phylogeny. The most common interactions studied were spider-plant interactions (40%) followed by spider-animal interactions, spider-spider and spider-insect interactions, and spider-fungi interactions. The most common type of interaction was commensalism followed by mutualism and parasitism. Nearly half (42%) of the interactions were on a sliding scale that morphed into a different type of interaction. This literature review highlights the vast array of interactions in which spiders are involved. There are research gaps in the evolutionary side of these interactions, limiting our knowledge of how these interactions originated and persisted over a timescale. Further research will help us better understand how these complex spider relationships shape the ecosystem and ecosystem processes.
---
The original presentation of the paper A Literature Review of Symbiotic Relationships between Spiders and Other Organisms was given at the Student Research Symposium on 6 March; this video is from the Student Research Symposium Awards Ceremony held 16 March 2026 at Merrill Hall Auditorium.
This paper won the Houston Cole Library Award for Research Excellence
Keywords
student research, biology
Rights
This content is the property of Jacksonville State University and is intended for non-commercial use. Video and images may be copied for personal use, research, teaching or any "fair use" as defined by copyright law. Users are asked to acknowledge Jacksonville State University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@jsu.edu.
Disciplines
Biology
Recommended Citation
Richards, Asel, "A Literature Review of Symbiotic Relationships between Spiders and Other Organisms" (2026). JSU Student Symposium 2026. 4.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2026/4