As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity
to examine the concept of the ecological community and the role that
field experimentation can play in evaluating theories of population and
community ecology. In this book, David Wise provides a balanced critique
of field experiments designed to uncover details of spider ecology, with
the dual aim of clarifying the ecology of these fascinating organisms
and providing insight into the advantages and challenges of performing
field experiments with a predator ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems.