Behavioral plasticity in the western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus, across a continuum of urbanization

o This implies that the effects of condition are only seen in contexts where increased activity levels are beneficial. High activity in anti-predator and foraging contexts may result in death or the loss of prey, whereas activity may be a sign of receptivity to males. Introduction • Individuals that change their behavior, displaying contextspecific behavioral optima, demonstrate ‘adaptive plasticity.’[2]