Question: Fluid loss in crab spiders. A group of University of Virginia biologists studied nectivory (nectar drinking) in crab spiders to determine if adult males were feeding on nectar to prevent fluid loss (Animal Behavior, June 1995). Nine male spiders were weighed and then placed on the flowers of Queen Anne's lace. One hour later, the spiders were removed and reweighed. The evaporative fluid loss (in milligrams) of each of the nine male spiders is given in the table.
(a) Summarize the fluid losses of male crab spiders with a stem-and-leaf display
(b) Of the nine spiders, only three drank any nectar from the flowers of Queen Anne's lace. These three spiders are identified as G, H, and I in the table. Locate and circle these three fluid losses on the stem-and-leaf display. Does the pattern depicted in the graph give you any insight into whether feeding on flower nectar reduces evaporative fluid loss for male crab spiders? Explain.