32 
Psyche 
[March-J une 
Figure 6. Body weight and number of molts of 25 males (15 FG, 10 SG), 
and 25 females (15 FG, 10 SG) from the two sets cocoons of Araneus 
diadematus studied. Each line connects mean body weights at one, two, 
five, seven and nine months post-hatching. Large black circles: FG females, 
large dashed line: early life of SG females; small black circles: FG males, 
small dashed line: SG males. Arrows indicate the number of molts to the 
time. Note the different growth rates and the related different speed of 
maturation in FG and SG males and females, and the similarities for 
both sets. 
set II: T = 14, P = O.05). As a result of having more food 
available for metabolism, an FG male was able to utilize more energy 
for other metabolic processes than basal metabolism, such as synthesis 
of silk, synthesis of body constituents, etc. This would assure a 
larger supply of silk for the FG spiders than for the SG, which 
could be an important drive for web-building (Peakall, 1967). The 
increased frequency of building in the FG spiders leads to a greater 
amount of food consumed which in time results in the rapid weight 
gain and growth. 
