The black widow spider consumes her mate what is the lowest trophic level she could be obtaining
Answers
The lowest trophic level it can occupy is 1
Black widow spider consuming her mate has its lowest trophic level as 4.
Black widow
A highly venomous American spider which has a black body with red markings.
The black widow is prey for birds and other spiders. Although poisonous, the black widow is not considered aggressive unless threatened.
Black widow spiders use their webs to catch their prey, which consists of flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars.
Black widows are comb-footed spiders, which means they have bristles on their hind legs that they use to cover their prey with silk once it has been trapped.
In these species, which include the black widow and redback, the large females will often devour the smaller males during mating.
Why do black widow spider eats thier mate?
It's all about size. If males spiders are small, they're easier to catch and therefore more likely to be prey for the female.