BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

We compiled a database containing information on the relationships between mass and length of individuals from six main groups of soil invertebrate arthropods: arachnida, chilopoda, diplopoda, entognatha, insecta and isopoda (see Table S1). This information was obtained both from the literature and from our own field sampling (see Appendix S2, Table S2). All studies included in the database estimated length as the total body length of the arthropods without appendages, which according to how it is measured, it is a homologous trait across all the studied taxa (Fig. 1). In total, the database included 283 mass-length relationships (equations hereafter) from 45 georeferenced sites located all over the world, from the Equator to high latitudes, and from many disparate biomes (Fig. 2, see Table S3). The most intensely sampled arthropods were arachnida (112 equations) and insecta (102 equations) (see Table S2). Because sample size usually affects the accuracy of the estimates, we included in the database only those equations that included information on sample size, of which only 66% contained information on the standard errors of the a and b estimates., This work was funded by grants CGL2014-61314-EXP and CGL2015-66192-R from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (European funds FEDER) and P12-RNM-1521 from Junta de Andalucía (European funds FEDER). D. Ruiz-Lupión is enjoying a FPU (FPU13/04933) scholarship from the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte., Code; Group1; Group2; Group3; Class; Subclass; Infraclass; Superorder; Order; Suborder; Family; Genus; Species; a; b; SD a; SD b; NLS a; NLS b; OLS a; OLS b; Normal a; Normal b; Normal a2; Normal b2; Original Equation; n; min Length (mm); max Length (mm); Range Length (mm); Mean Length (mm); Reference Mean Length; PCGM1; PCGM2; PCGM3; Feeding habits; Type of Allometry; Latitude; Longitude; Altitude; MAT; MAP; NDVI; Site and Reference., Peer reviewed

Soil fauna play a key role in nutrient cycling and decomposition, and in recent years researchers have become more and more interested in this compartment of terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, soil fauna can act as ecosystem engineers by creating, modifying and maintaining the habitat for other organisms. Ecologists usually utilize alive catches in pitfalls traps as a standard method to study the activity of epigeic fauna in addition to relative abundance. Counts in pitfall traps can be used as estimates of relative activity to compare among experimental treatments. This requires taking independent estimates of abundance (e.g.: by sifting soil litter, mark-recapture), which can then be used as covariates in linear models to compare the levels of fauna activity (trap catches) among treatments. However, many studies show that the use of pitfall traps is not the most adequate method to estimate soil fauna relative abundances, and these concerns may be extensible to estimating activity. Here, we present two new types of traps devised to study activity in litter fauna, and which we call “cul-de-sac” and “basket traps” respectively. We experimentally show that, at least for litter dwellers, these new traps are more appropriate to estimate fauna activity than pitfall traps because: 1) Pitfall traps contain 3.5x more humidity than the surrounding environment, potentially attracting animals towards them when environmental conditions are relatively dry, 2) cul-de-sac and basket traps catch ca. 4x more both meso- and macrofauna than pitfall traps, suggesting that pitfall traps are underestimating activity; and 3) pitfall traps show a bias towards collecting 1.5x higher amounts of predators, which suggests that predation rates are higher within pitfall traps. We end with a protocol and recommendations for how to use these new traps in ecological experiments and surveys aiming at estimating soil arthropod activity., This work was funded by grants CGL2010-18602 and CGL2015-66192-R from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (European funds FEDER), 020/2008 Spanish Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales and P12-RNM-1521 from Junta de Andalucía (European funds FEDER), Peer reviewed

Facilitative or positive interactions are ubiquitous in nature and play a fundamental role in the configuration of ecological communities. In particular, habitat modification and niche construction, in which one organism locally modifies abiotic conditions and favours other organisms by buffering the effects of adverse environmental factors, are among the most relevant facilitative interactions. In line with this, ‘keystone structures’, which provide resources, refuge, or advantageous services decisive for other species, may allow the coexistence of various species and thus considerably contribute to diversity maintenance. Beech cupules are woody husks harbouring beech fruits that remain in the forest soil for relatively long periods of time. In this study, we explored the potential role of these cupules in the distribution and maintenance of the soil fauna inhabiting the leaf litter layer. We experimentally manipulated cupule availability and soil moisture in the field to determine if such structures are limiting and can provide moist shelter to soil animals during drought periods, contributing to minimize desiccation risks. We measured invertebrate abundances inside relative to outside the cupules, total abundances in the leaf litter and animal body sizes, in both dry and wet experimental plots. We found that these structures are preferentially used by the most abundant groups of smaller soil animals—springtails, mites and enchytraeids—during droughts. Moreover, beech cupules can be limiting, as an increase in use was found with higher cupule densities, and are important resources for many small soil invertebrates, driving the spatial structure of the soil community and promoting higher densities in the leaf litter, probably through an increase in habitat heterogeneity. We propose that fruit woody structures should be considered ‘keystone structures’ that contribute to soil community maintenance. Therefore, beech trees may indirectly facilitate soil fauna activities through their decaying fruit husks, hence acting as ecosystem engineers., This work has been funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grant CGL2010-18602 and CGL2015-66192-R to JML, the European Regional Development Fund and FPI fellowship (BES-2011-043505) to NMR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript., Peer reviewed

© The Author(s)., Soil fauna play a key role in nutrient cycling and decomposition, and in recent years, researchers have become more and more interested in this compartment of terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, soil fauna can act as ecosystem engineers by creating, modifying, and maintaining the habitat for other organisms. Ecologists usually utilize live catches in pitfalls traps as a standard method to study the activity of epigeic fauna in addition to relative abundance. Counts in pitfall traps can be used as estimates of relative activity to compare among experimental treatments. This requires taking independent estimates of abundance (e.g., by sifting soil litter, mark–recapture), which can then be used as covariates in linear models to compare the levels of fauna activity (trap catches) among treatments. However, many studies show that the use of pitfall traps is not the most adequate method to estimate soil fauna relative abundances, and these concerns may be extensible to estimating activity. Here, we present two new types of traps devised to study activity in litter fauna, and which we call “cul-de-sac” and “basket traps”, respectively. We experimentally show that, at least for litter dwellers, these new traps are more appropriate to estimate fauna activity than pitfall traps because: (1) pitfall traps contain 3.5× more moisture than the surrounding environment, potentially attracting animals towards them when environmental conditions are relatively dry; (2) cul-de-sac and basket traps catch ca. 4× more of both meso- and macrofauna than pitfall traps, suggesting that pitfall traps are underestimating activity; and (3) pitfall traps show a bias towards collecting 1.5× higher amounts of predators, which suggests that predation rates are higher within pitfall traps. We end with a protocol and recommendations for how to use these new traps in ecological experiments and surveys aiming at estimating soil arthropod activity, This work was funded by grants CGL2010-18602 and CGL2015-66192-R from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (European funds FEDER), 020/2008 from Spanish Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales, and P12-RNM-1521 from Junta de Andalucía (European funds FEDER) and the FPI fellowship (BES-2011-043505) to N.M.R. D. Ruiz-Lupión is enjoying a FPU (FPU13/04933) scholarship from the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte., Peer reviewed

This study has been funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grants CGL2010-18602, CGL2015-66192-R and Andalusian grant P12-RNM-1521-EEZA to J.M.L., the European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Nacional de la Promoción de Ciencia y Tecnología (PICT 2016-1780), Argentina to A.T.A. and FPI fellowship (BES-2011-043505) to N.M.R, Dos tablas de datos: Animal abundance y Decomposition data, Peer reviewed

This study was supported by the Office of Secretary of Public Education of Mexico through the program Further Education Programme for Teachers (UNICACH-110). Further support was provided by the Spanish Research Agency (grant CGL2017-84515-R to FIP and grant CGL2015-66192-R to JML). We thank the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Park for support during field work (permit: 2016-101-657)., UV radiation UV radiation exposition with two levels: UV+ and UV- Biocides Exposition of biocides with two levels: biocides+ and biocides- Species Identity Leaf litter species identity with three levels: S. tenacissima, C. humilis and R. sphaerocarpa Mixtures Plant diversity treatments with four levels (three monospecific plus the mixture) Isopods Isopod presence with two levels: Isopods+ and Isopods- Mortality Total number of dead isopods after 80 days of experiment w_inic Litter initial dry weight (g) w_uv Litter mass after 200 days of UV exposition during the first stage of the experiment; dry weight (g) w_iso Litter mass after 80 days of exposition to isopods during second stage of the experiment; dry weight (g), Peer reviewed

Litter decomposition in field experiment. A total of 280 mesocosms were settled under and away of 20 individuals of Z. lotus. The litter boxes thus contained either one single species of litter (20 litter boxes for each species and position treatment), 2-sp mixtures (20 litter boxes for each 2-species combination and position treatment) or 3-sp mixtures (20 litter boxes with the 3-species mixture and position treatment)., This study was supported by the Office of Secretary of Public Education of Mexico though the program Further Education Programme for Teachers (UNICACH-110). Further support was provided by the Spanish Research Agency (grant CGL2017-84515-R to FIP and grant CGL2015-66192-R to JML). We thank the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Park for support during field work (permit: 2016-101-657)., Date Date of collection (1 - 07/13/2017, 2 - 01/13/2018, 3 -08/30/2018) Plant Plant (Ziziphus lotus fertility island) ID utmx Geographic Longitude for each plant utmy Geographic Latitude for each plant Box Mesocosm ID Island Location of the mesocosm (Away or Under shrub) Mixtures Litter plant diversity (species richness 1, 2, 3) Species Identity of the litter plant species with three levels: S. tenacissima, C. humilis and R. sphaerocarpa w_inic Litter initial dry mass (g) w_end Litter dry mass (g) after 184, 367 and 597 days in the field, Peer reviewed

Shifts in densities of apex predators may indirectly affect fundamental ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, by altering patterns of cascading effects propagating through lower trophic levels. These top–down effects may interact with anthropogenic impacts, such as climate change, in largely unknown ways. We investigated how changes in densities of large predatory arthropods in forest leaf-litter communities altered lower trophic levels and litter decomposition. We conducted our experiment in soil communities that had experienced different levels of long-term average precipitation. We hypothesized that altering abundances of apex predators would have stronger effects on soil communities inhabiting dry forests, due to lower secondary productivity and greater resource overexploitation by lower trophic levels compared to wet forests. We experimentally manipulated abundances of the largest arthropod predators (apex predators) in field mesocosms replicated in the leaf-litter community of Iberian beech forests that differed in long-term mean annual precipitation by 25% (three dry forests with MAP < 1,250 mm and four wet forests with MAP > 1,400 mm). After one year, we assessed abundances of soil fauna in lower trophic levels and indirect impacts on leaf-litter decomposition using litter of understorey hazel, Corylus avellana. Reducing densities of large predators had a consistently negative effect on final abundances of the different trophic groups and several taxa within each group. Moreover, large predatory arthropods strongly impacted litter decomposition, and their effect interacted with the long-term annual rainfall experienced by the soil community. In the dry forests, a 50% reduction in the densities of apex predators was associated with a 50% reduction in decomposition. In wet forests, the same reduction in densities of apex soil predators did not alter the rate of litter decomposition. Our results suggest that predators may facilitate lower trophic levels by indirectly reducing competition and resource overexploitation, cascading effects that may be more pronounced in drier forests where conditions have selected for greater competitive ability and more rapid resource utilization. These findings thus provide insights into the functioning of soil invertebrate communities and their role in decomposition, as well as potential consequences of soil community responses to climate change., This study has been funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grants CGL2010‐18602, CGL2015‐66192‐R and Andalusian grant P12‐RNM‐1521‐EEZA to J.M.L.; the European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Nacional de la Promoción de Ciencia y Tecnología (PICT 2016‐1780), Argentina to A.T.A.; and FPI fellowship (BES‐2011‐043505) to N.M.‐R.

Abstract
Aim
It is still debated whether allometry, the relationship between body size and body parts, entails merely an evolutionary constraint or can itself evolve. Recently, a hypothesis has been proposed that states that static allometry (allometry measured across individuals at the same developmental stage) can evolve from differences in the developmental pathways between pairs of traits under different nutritional environments. A macroecological prediction stemming from this hypothesis is that allometric coefficients (scaling and allometric factors) should covary with ecosystem productivity. Here, we tested this prediction using a worldwide database of mass¿length allometric equations.

Location
Worldwide, data distributed across the entire globe.

Time period
1967¿2017.

Major taxa studied
Soil arthropods.

Methods
We fitted general linear models with the allometric coefficients (the scaling a and allometric b factors) as the dependent variables. The target independent variable was the normalized difference vegetation index, as a proxy of ecosystem productivity. Longitude, absolute latitude and altitude, as well as mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation were included as both covariates and additional variables of interest. We also included body bauplan (obtained from geometric morphometrics), taxonomic affiliation (a proxy of phylogenetic relationships) and the reciprocal allometric coefficient as covariates in the model.

Results
We found a strong negative association between both allometric factors and the productivity of the ecosystems, and the effect for the allometric factor b was stronger at lower trophic levels. We also detected strikingly similar effects of geographic and climatic predictors on both allometric factors, suggesting the occurrence of similar selective regimes.

Main conclusions
The fact that productivity, geography and climate affect the value of mass¿length allometric coefficients has important consequences not only to understand the evolution of allometries, but also for how energy is processed in soil ecosystems across the globe., Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. Grant Number: FPU13/04933
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Grant Numbers: CGL2014‐61314‐EXP , CGL2015‐66192‐R
Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía. Grant Number: P12‐RNM‐1521

High-throughput DNA methods hold great promise for phylogenetic analysis of lineages that are difficult to study with conventional molecular and morphological approaches. The mites (Acari), and in particular the highly diverse soil-dwelling lineages, are among the least known branches of the metazoan Tree-of-Life. We extracted numerous minute mites from soils in an area of mixed forest and grassland in southern Iberia. Selected specimens representing the full morphological diversity were shotgun sequenced in bulk, followed by genome assembly of short reads from the mixture, which produced >100 mitochondrial genomes representing diverse acarine lineages. Phylogenetic analyses in combination with taxonomically limited mitogenomes available publicly resulted in plausible trees defining basal relationships of the Acari. Several critical nodes were supported by ancestral-state reconstructions of mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Molecular calibration placed the minimum age for the common ancestor of the superorder Acariformes, which includes most soil-dwelling mites, to the Cambrian–Ordovician (likely within 455–552 Ma), whereas the origin of the superorder Parasitiformes was placed later in the Carboniferous-Permian. Most family-level taxa within the Acariformes were dated to the Jurassic and Triassic. The ancient origin of Acariformes and the early diversification of major extant lineages linked to the soil are consistent with a pioneering role for mites in building the earliest terrestrial ecosystems., This research was funded by the NHM Biodiversity Initiative and the CGL2015-66192-R and CGL2015-74178-JIN projects. PA was supported by the Royal Society UK (Newton International Program) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Juan de la Cierva Formación); BL by the NHM Biodiversity Initiative and French Labex Agro-CeMEB-NUMEV, Peer reviewed

[Methods]

Spider collection

Individuals of Lycosa fasciiventris were collected from June 23rd to July 27th 2015 in four different localities within the Almeria province (South-East Spain), in dry temporal washes (“ramblas”): 1) around Paraje las Palmerillas, Estación Experimental de Cajamar (36.7917°N, 2.6891°O); 2) near Boca de los Frailes village (36.8036°N, 2.1386°O); 3) near Carboneras village (36.9667°N, 2.1019°O) and 4) near Almanzora river (37.3414°N, 2.0078°O). Individuals were then kept separately in the laboratory in a container (22 x 18 x 18 cm) with the bottom filled with 2-3 cm of soil collected from the sampling sites. Two wooden blocks (10 x 8 x 1 cm and 3 x 5 x 1 cm) were added to each tank to provide shelter. Only sub-adult virgin females were used to form the laboratory population. All individuals (adult and sub-adult males, and sub-adult females) were fed once a week with size-matched crickets (Gryllus assimilis; Fabricius 1775) purchased from a pet supply online store Exofauna, Spain (available in: https://exofauna.com). Spiders had access to water ad libitum through a 40 ml vial filled with water and covered with cotton. Tanks were placed in a climate chamber with simulated outdoor climatic conditions (day and night temperature cycles and photoperiod with light fluorescent tubes of 54 W, mimicking natural sunshine, and a relative humidity from 50 to 65%). Climatic conditions were adjusted to the preceding weekly average conditions in the Almeria province, with day-night temperature and light oscillations (temperature: 18.7-34.3 °C; light-dark photoperiod: 17:7-16:8 hours).

Breeding design

To assess genetic, maternal and environmental variation in individual prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSR), we performed a paternal half-sib split-brood design (Roff 1997; Lynch and Walsh 1998), in which 52 males (sires) were each mated with two virgin females (dams). Each week, offspring were provided with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster; Meigen, 1830) originated from cultures produced in the laboratory. Flies were fed with a nitrogen rich medium supplemented with high quality dogfood, which highly improves spider survival (Jensen et al. 2011). Maternal families were constituted by 12 offspring, split into two food availability treatments, varying in the number of flies provided. Thus, 3 out of 12 offspring from each maternal family were assigned to the rich environment, being given 3× the amount of food provided in the poor (or standard) environment. Initially, a single fly was offered to the spiders in the poor treatment and 3 flies in the richer treatment. This quantity was adjusted to 3 and 9 when individuals were approximately 6 months old due to higher food demand at that stage.

After hatching, spiderlings of wolf spiders climb to the female back and, in L. fasciiventris, remain with it for a period of a few weeks (Parellada 1998). Due to logistic reasons, all spiderlings were removed from the female back within one week, that is approximately 42 ± 8 (mean ± SD) days after they hatched (age at isolation). To estimate and control for post-hatching common environmental effects occurring on the female back, the age at isolation was included in all models. This variable was never significant (data not shown). Spiderlings were carefully collected from the female back with the help of a paintbrush. We took 12 spiderlings from each female and placed them separately in cylindrical containers (5 cm height and 6 cm diameter). Each container had the bottom covered with filter paper, providing a substrate for both locomotion and absorption of excreta, inside the growth chamber. Filter papers were checked weekly and replaced if necessary. A plastic tip was inserted at the bottom of the container, filled with cotton connected to a reservoir, providing water ad libitum to spiders by capillarity (Moskalik and Uetz 2011). The 1248 spiderling containers were then randomly arranged within the growth chamber to ensure that individuals belonging to the same family were spatially interspersed. This allowed mitigating possible common environmental effects after spiderling isolation from their mothers.

Morphometry

Body components were divided between structural body size (carapace width; Hagstrum 1971) and body condition (residuals of abdomen width on carapace width; (Jakob et al. 1996). Body condition reflects energy and nutrient storage independently on the size of the spider and thus reflects hunger level (Moya-Laraño et al. 2008). Structural body size may reflect the strength to subdue prey (e.g., Moya-Laraño et al. 2002). Both carapace and abdomen width were measured at their widest point.

Body size and body condition were measured in two instances: after individuals were taken from their mothers and isolated, and immediately before the trials for acceptance. Morphometric measurements were taken to the nearest 0.1 mm with a dissection microscope (Leica MZ125). While structural body size measured at the time of trial was needed to calculate prey-to-predator size ratio, body condition at the time of the trial was used to control for the hunger state of each spiderling (i.e. its motivational state). These traits were also measured early in life and used to calculate genetic and maternal correlations, to test how maternal investment in both offspring body size and condition could affect behavioural patterns of the spiders later in life.

Prey acceptance

This experiment aimed to measure the maximum relative size of a prey cricket (Gryllus assimilis) that a spider accepted, considering a range of cricket lengths (in mm) decreasing from 5× to 1× (in units of 1) the carapace width of the spider. For that, we placed them in experimental arenas where each spider was offered crickets in a decreasing order of relative size until it subdued and killed a cricket. The response variable, prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSR) is the ratio at which the spider attacks and kills the cricket. This measure corresponds to the maximum PPSR (PPSRmax) at which predators kill their prey and the larger the relative size of the prey killed, the higher the PPSR. Spiders were measured in blocks of 17 ± 5 (mean ± SD) individuals. Each block was defined as the experimental batch of individuals assessed in each day.

Although this cricket species does not occur in the study site, L. fasciiventris is able to effectively prey on it, and a similar species with similar body size, Gryllus bimaculatus, is highly abundant in the collection area (Moya-laraño personal observation). As it was not feasible to collect G. bimaculatus in numbers enough to carry out this study, we used G. assimilis individuals from an established laboratory population. Note that this approach allowed testing the response of spiders that were naive to this prey, as all spiders had been fed with Drosophila to that point. Thus, this approach minimized environmental variation due to potential effects of previous experiences with cricket prey.

In the trial, we used crickets with a length that differed from the target PPSR (5×, 4×, 3×, 2× or 1× of the width of the spider carapace) by less than 0.2 units. Crickets were weighted, and their length determined from a calibration curve, previously generated with the weight and length of 40 crickets: L = 3.22 + 0.32log(M); R2 = 0.99; p < 0.0001; where L is cricket body length (in mm) and M is cricket body mass (in mg). Mass was measured to the nearest 0.1 mg using a high precision scale (Mettler Toledo XP26). None of the crickets were used in more than one trial.

To standardize hunger levels across individuals, spiders were left to starve for seven days before being tested, similarly to other studies (Persons and Rypstra 2000). As it was not possible to standardize age across trials, individuals were randomly assigned to each trial. Spider age at the time of each measurement (331 ± 30 days old, mean ± SD) was recorded and later controlled for in the statistical analysis as a covariate (see below). A single spider and one cricket were placed inside the arena (7.5 cm diameter), in opposite sides, within enclosed inverted plastic vials (3 cm diameter). Then, both vials were gently lifted simultaneously, and crickets and spiders were allowed to interact for 6 minutes. If the cricket was not captured and subdued, the spider was enclosed in the vial and the cricket was removed. Spiders were then left to recover in the vial for 30 minutes until a new cricket from the next immediately lower size was presented (lower PPSR). Trials ended as soon as the spider attacked and killed a cricket or if the spider did not catch the smallest (1×) cricket.

[Usage Notes] Data used to assess the sources of variation of the maximum prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSRmax) in juveniles of the wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris using a paternal half-sib split brood design., The relative body size at which predators are willing to attack prey, a key trait for predator-prey interactions, is usually considered invariant. However, this ratio can vary widely among individuals or populations. Identifying the range and origin of such variation is key to understanding the strength and constraints on selection in both predators and prey. Still, these sources of variation remain largely unknown. We filled this gap by measuring the genetic, maternal and environmental variation of the maximum prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSRmax) in juveniles of the wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris using a paternal half-sib split brood design, in which each male was paired with two different females and the offspring reared in two different food environments: poor and rich. Each juvenile spider was then sequentially offered crickets of decreasing size and the maximum prey size killed was determined. We also measured body size and body condition of spiders upon emergence and just before the trial. We found low, but significant heritability (h2=0.069) and dominance and common environmental variance (d2+4c2=0.056). PPSRmax was also partially explained by body condition (during trial) but there was no effect of the rearing food environment. Finally, a maternal correlation between body size early in life and PPSRmax indicated that offspring born larger were less predisposed to feed on larger prey later in life. Therefore, PPSRmax, a central trait in ecosystems, can vary widely and this variation is due to different sources, with important consequences for changes in this trait in the short and long terms., Ministry of Education and Science, Award: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation):PD/BD/106059/2015. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Award: FPU13/04933. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Award: CGL2015-66192-R., Peer reviewed

The relative body size at which predators are willing to attack prey, a key trait for predator-prey interactions, is usually considered invariant. However, this ratio can vary widely among individuals or populations. Identifying the range and origin of such variation is key to understanding the strength and constraints on selection in both predators and prey. Still, these sources of variation remain largely unknown. We filled this gap by measuring the genetic, maternal and environmental variation of the maximum prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSRmax) in juveniles of the wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris using a paternal half-sib split-brood design, in which each male was paired with two females and the offspring reared in two food environments: poor and rich. Each juvenile spider was then sequentially offered crickets of decreasing size and the maximum prey size killed was determined. We also measured body size and body condition of spiders upon emergence and just before the trial. We found low, but significant heritability (h2 = 0.069) and dominance and common environmental variance (d2 + 4c2 = 0.056). PPSRmax was also partially explained by body condition (during trial) but there was no effect of the rearing food environment. Finally, a maternal correlation between body size early in life and PPSRmax indicated that offspring born larger were less predisposed to feed on larger prey later in life. Therefore, PPSRmax, a central trait in ecosystems, can vary widely and this variation is due to different sources, with important consequences for changes in this trait in the short and long terms., This study was supported by a PhD grant (PD/BD/106059/2015) attributed to JFH by the Portuguese Science and Technology foundation (FCT), by the grant P12-RMN-1521 from the Andalusian government and by the grant CGL2015-66192-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, both partially funded by the European Regional Development Found, both attributed to Jordi Moya-Laraño and to the FPU scholarship (FPU13/04933) from the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte to Dolores Ruiz-Lupión., Peer reviewed