Indirect effects associated with the spider Dipoena banksii, a predator of ants, are identified within the context of the ant-plant mutualism between Pheidole bicornis and Piper obliquum. Pheidole bicornis can detect D. banksii webs and avoid leaves occupied by the spider. In a field manipulation, plants with spiders suffered significantly more folivory than plants without spiders. Because the increase in folivory is associated with a modification of ant behavior, the effect of the spiders is proposed as an example of a trait-mediated indirect interaction.
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Karin R. Gastreich (1999) studied this question.
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