Climatic niche overlap models reveal niche partitioning among black widow spiders and potential ecological impacts of invasive brown widows in North America

The introduction of new species can have unpredictable effects on native communities. Understanding the potential for competitive interactions between widow spiders (Theridiidae: Latrodectus), and how they may shaped species’ geographic distributions, is critical predicting impacts biological invasions in this historically cryptic group. North America home to three widows (L. hesperus, L. mactans, variolus) one invasive geometricus) with distributions that are at least partly sympatric. Given relative novelty geometricus communities as expand their range, it unclear if share resources congeners, competition climatic (space) could result ecological widows. Here we aim model niche differentiation dynamics widows, coevolved over time, brown assess impact. We investigated partitioning shape sympatric compared each other geometricus. aggregated photographed occurrences from social media online repositories quantify overlap all four a continental scale, among nativespecies. found had were more strongly partitioned, showing weaker overlap, except two eastern which showed strong equivalency. Conversely, greater possibly because too soon see effect or differences diet urban versus nonurban microhabitats promote coexistence.