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Hesselberg T, Boyd KM, Styrsky JD, Gálvez D. Host Plant Specificity in Web-Building Spiders. INSECTS 2023; 14:insects14030229. [PMID: 36975914 PMCID: PMC10051880 DOI: 10.3390/insects14030229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Spiders are ubiquitous generalist predators playing an important role in regulating insect populations in many ecosystems. Traditionally they have not been thought to have strong influences on, or interactions with plants. However, this is slowly changing as several species of cursorial spiders have been reported engaging in either herbivory or inhabiting only one, or a handful of related plant species. In this review paper, we focus on web-building spiders on which very little information is available. We only find well-documented evidence from studies of host plant specificity in orb spiders in the genus Eustala, which are associated with specific species of swollen thorn acacias. We review what little is known of this group in the context of spider-plant interactions generally, and focus on how these interactions are established and maintained while providing suggestions on how spiders may locate and identify specific species of plants. Finally, we suggest ideas for future fruitful research aimed at understanding how web-building spiders find and utilise specific plant hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hesselberg
- Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JA, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Kieran M. Boyd
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
| | - John D. Styrsky
- Department of Biology, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA 24501, USA
| | - Dumas Gálvez
- Coiba Scientific Station, Panama City 0843-01853, Panama
- Programa Centroamericano de Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 0824, Panama
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City P.O. Box 0843-03092, Panama
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2
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Beleyur T, Murthy TG, Singh S, Somanathan H, Uma D. Web architecture, dynamics and silk investment in the social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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3
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Challita EJ, Alexander SLM, Han SI, Blackledge TA, Coddington JA, Jung S, Bhamla MS. Slingshot spiders build tensed, underdamped webs for ultrafast launches and speedy halts. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 207:205-217. [PMID: 33723624 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01475-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We develop a mathematical model to capture the web dynamics of slingshot spiders (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae), which utilize a tension line to deform their orb webs into conical springs to hunt flying insects. Slingshot spiders are characterized by their ultrafast launch speeds and accelerations (exceeding 1300 [Formula: see text]), however a theoretical approach to characterize the underlying spatiotemporal web dynamics remains missing. To address this knowledge gap, we develop a 2D-coupled damped oscillator model of the web. Our model reveals three key insights into the dynamics of slingshot motion. First, the tension line plays a dual role: enabling the spider to load elastic energy into the web for a quick launch (in milliseconds) to displacements of 10-15 body lengths, but also enabling the spider to halt quickly, attenuating inertial oscillations. Second, the dominant energy dissipation mechanism is viscous drag by the silk lines - acting as a low Reynolds number parachute. Third, the web exhibits underdamped oscillatory dynamics through a finely-tuned balance between the radial line forces, the tension line force and viscous drag dissipation. Together, our work suggests that the conical geometry and tension-line enables the slingshot web to act as both an elastic spring and a shock absorber, for the multi-functional roles of risky predation and self-preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elio J Challita
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30311, USA.,Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30311, USA
| | - Symone L M Alexander
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30311, USA
| | - Sarah I Han
- Department of Biology, Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Todd A Blackledge
- Department of Biology, Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Jonathan A Coddington
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th and Constitution, NW Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Sunghwan Jung
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - M Saad Bhamla
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30311, USA.
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4
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Blamires SJ, Sellers WI. Modelling temperature and humidity effects on web performance: implications for predicting orb-web spider ( Argiope spp.) foraging under Australian climate change scenarios. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz083. [PMID: 31832193 PMCID: PMC6899225 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic features extending beyond the body, or EPs, may vary plastically across environments. EP constructs, such as spider webs, vary in property across environments as a result of changes to the physiology of the animal or interactions between the environment and the integrity of the material from which the EP is manufactured. Due to the complexity of the interactions between EP constructs and the environment, the impact of climate change on EP functional integrity is poorly understood. Here we used a dynamic model to assess how temperature and humidity influence spider web major ampullate (MA) silk properties. MA silk is the silk that absorbs the impact of prey striking the web, hence our model provides a useful interpretation of web performance over the temperature (i.e. 20-55°C) and humidity (i.e. 15-100%) ranges assessed. Our results showed that extremely high or low humidity had direct negative effects on web capture performance, with changes in temperature likely having indirect effects. Undeniably, the effect of temperature on web architecture and its interactive effect with humidity on web tension and capture thread stickiness need to be factored into any further predictions of plausible climate change impacts. Since our study is the first to model plasticity in an EP construct's functionality and to extrapolate the results to predict climate change impacts, it stands as a template for future studies that endeavour to make predictions about the influence of climate change on animal EPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Blamires
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - W I Sellers
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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5
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Abstract
Materials and construction methods of nests vary between bird species and at present, very little is known about the relationships between architecture and function in these structures. This study combines computational and experimental techniques to study the structural biology of nests fabricated by the edible nest swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus on vertical rock walls using threaded saliva. Utilizing its own saliva as a construction material allows the swiftlets full control over the structural features at a very high resolution in a process similar to additive manufacturing. It was hypothesized that the mechanical properties would vary between the structural regions of the nest (i.e. anchoring to the wall, center of the cup, and rim) mainly by means of architecture to offer structural support and bear the natural loads of birds and eggs. We generated numerical models of swiftlet nests from μCT scans based on collected swiftlet nests, which we loaded with a force of birds and eggs. This was done in order to study and assess the stress distribution that characterizes the specific nest's architecture, evaluate its strength and weak points if any, as well as to understand the rationale and benefits that underlie this natural structure. We show that macro- and micro-scale structural patterns are identical in all nests, suggesting that their construction is governed by specific design principles. The nests' response to applied loads of birds and eggs in finite element simulations suggests a mechanical overdesign strategy, which ensures the stresses experienced by its components in any loading scenario are actively minimized to be significantly smaller than the tensile fracture strength of the nests' material. These findings highlight mechanical overdesign as a biological strategy for resilient, single-material constructions designed to protect eggs and hatchlings.
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6
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Willmott NJ, Henneken J, Selleck CJ, Jones TM. Artificial light at night alters life history in a nocturnal orb-web spider. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5599. [PMID: 30324009 PMCID: PMC6183507 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing rapidly around the world. The potential physiological costs of this night lighting are often evident in life history shifts. We investigated the effects of chronic night-time exposure to ecologically relevant levels of LED lighting on the life history traits of the nocturnal Australian garden orb-web spider (Eriophora biapicata). We reared spiders under a 12-h day and either a 12-h natural darkness (∼0 lux) or a 12-h dim light (∼20 lux) night and assessed juvenile development, growth and mortality, and adult reproductive success and survival. We found that exposure to ALAN accelerated juvenile development, resulting in spiders progressing through fewer moults, and maturing earlier and at a smaller size. There was a significant increase in daily juvenile mortality for spiders reared under 20 lux, but the earlier maturation resulted in a comparable number of 0 lux and 20 lux spiders reaching maturity. Exposure to ALAN also considerably reduced the number of eggs produced by females, and this was largely associated with ALAN-induced reductions in body size. Despite previous observations of increased fitness for some orb-web spiders in urban areas and near night lighting, it appears that exposure to artificial night lighting may lead to considerable developmental costs. Future research will need to consider the detrimental effects of ALAN combined with foraging benefits when studying nocturnal insectivores that forage around artificial lights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas J Willmott
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jessica Henneken
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Caitlin J Selleck
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Therésa M Jones
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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7
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Mortimer B, Soler A, Siviour CR, Zaera R, Vollrath F. Tuning the instrument: sonic properties in the spider's web. J R Soc Interface 2017; 13:rsif.2016.0341. [PMID: 27605164 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider orb webs are multifunctional, acting to absorb prey impact energy and transmit vibratory information to the spider. This paper explores the links between silk material properties, propagation of vibrations within webs and the ability of the spider to control and balance web function. Combining experimental and modelling approaches, we contrast transverse and longitudinal wave propagation in the web. It emerged that both transverse and longitudinal wave amplitude in the web can be adjusted through changes in web tension and dragline silk stiffness, i.e. properties that can be controlled by the spider. In particular, we propose that dragline silk supercontraction may have evolved as a control mechanism for these multifunctional fibres. The various degrees of active influence on web engineering reveals the extraordinary ability of spiders to shape the physical properties of their self-made materials and architectures to affect biological functionality, balancing trade-offs between structural and sensory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Mortimer
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - A Soler
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - C R Siviour
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - R Zaera
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - F Vollrath
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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Craig CL, Bernard GD, Coddington JA. EVOLUTIONARY SHIFTS IN THE SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF SPIDER SILKS. Evolution 2017; 48:287-296. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1994.tb01312.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/1991] [Accepted: 05/06/1993] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine L. Craig
- Department of Biology, Osborn Memorial Laboratories Yale University New Haven Connecticut 06511
| | - Gary D. Bernard
- Department of Electrical Engineering University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195
| | - Jonathan A. Coddington
- Department of Entomology Smithsonian Institution 105 NHB, 10th and Constitution Avenue Washington, D.C. 20560
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9
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Bond JE, Opell BD. TESTING ADAPTIVE RADIATION AND KEY INNOVATION HYPOTHESES IN SPIDERS. Evolution 2017; 52:403-414. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1998.tb01641.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/1997] [Accepted: 11/12/1997] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason E. Bond
- Department of Biology Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg Virginia 24061‐0406
| | - Brent D. Opell
- Department of Biology Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg Virginia 24061‐0406
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10
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Kumar V, Krishna KV, Khanna S, Joshi KB. Aggregation propensity of amyloidogenic and elastomeric dipeptides constituents. Tetrahedron 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2016.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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11
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Soler A, Zaera R. The secondary frame in spider orb webs: the detail that makes the difference. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31265. [PMID: 27507613 PMCID: PMC4978998 DOI: 10.1038/srep31265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider orb webs are multifunctional structures, the main function of which is to dissipate the kinetic energy of the impacting prey, while minimizing structural damage. There is no single explanation for their remarkable strength and ductility. However, it is clear that topology is decisive in the structural performance upon impact, and the arrangement of the different silk threads in the web must also exert an effect. The aim of this study is to show how a slight variation in the geometry markedly affects the prey-capture ability of spider orb webs. The study is focused on the secondary frame, a thread interposed between radial and primary frame strands, the importance of which has not been examined until now. The simulation of the impact performance of webs using different lengths of the secondary frame clarifies its structural role, which has proven to be decisive. Furthermore, the study explains why secondary frame threads of moderate length, as commonly encountered, enable the capture of prey with higher energy without a marked increase in the volume of silk used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Soler
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ramón Zaera
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
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12
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Blamires SJ, Tseng YH, Wu CL, Toft S, Raubenheimer D, Tso IM. Spider web and silk performance landscapes across nutrient space. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26383. [PMID: 27216252 PMCID: PMC4877650 DOI: 10.1038/srep26383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators have been shown to alter their foraging as a regulatory response to recent feeding history, but it remains unknown whether trap building predators modulate their traps similarly as a regulatory strategy. Here we fed the orb web spider Nephila pilipes either live crickets, dead crickets with webs stimulated by flies, or dead crickets without web stimulation, over 21 days to enforce spiders to differentially extract nutrients from a single prey source. In addition to the nutrients extracted we measured web architectures, silk tensile properties, silk amino acid compositions, and web tension after each feeding round. We then plotted web and silk "performance landscapes" across nutrient space. The landscapes had multiple peaks and troughs for each web and silk performance parameter. The findings suggest that N. pilipes plastically adjusts the chemical and physical properties of their web and silk in accordance with its nutritional history. Our study expands the application of the geometric framework foraging model to include a type of predatory trap. Whether it can be applied to other predatory traps requires further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J. Blamires
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tseng
- Department of Life Science, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Lin Wu
- Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 30011, Taiwan
| | - Søren Toft
- Department of BioScience, Building 1540, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, DK-Aarhus 8000 C, Denmark
| | - David Raubenheimer
- The Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Science & School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia
| | - I.-Min Tso
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
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13
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Meyer A, Pugno NM, Cranford SW. Compliant threads maximize spider silk connection strength and toughness. J R Soc Interface 2015; 11:20140561. [PMID: 25008083 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Millions of years of evolution have adapted spider webs to achieve a range of functionalities, including the well-known capture of prey, with efficient use of material. One feature that has escaped extensive investigation is the silk-on-silk connection joints within spider webs, particularly from a structural mechanics perspective. We report a joint theoretical and computational analysis of an idealized silk-on-silk fibre junction. By modifying the theory of multiple peeling, we quantitatively compare the performance of the system while systematically increasing the rigidity of the anchor thread, by both scaling the stress-strain response and the introduction of an applied pre-strain. The results of our study indicate that compliance is a virtue-the more extensible the anchorage, the tougher and stronger the connection becomes. In consideration of the theoretical model, in comparison with rigid substrates, a compliant anchorage enormously increases the effective adhesion strength (work required to detach), independent of the adhered thread itself, attributed to a nonlinear alignment between thread and anchor (contact peeling angle). The results can direct novel engineering design principles to achieve possible load transfer from compliant fibre-to-fibre anchorages, be they silk-on-silk or another, as-yet undeveloped, system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery Meyer
- Laboratory for Nanotechnology in Civil Engineering (NICE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 400 Snell Engineering, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nicola M Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-Inspired and Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Università di Trento, via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy Center for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Povo (Trento), Italy
| | - Steven W Cranford
- Laboratory for Nanotechnology in Civil Engineering (NICE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 400 Snell Engineering, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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14
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Gregorič M, Kuntner M, Blackledge TA. Does body size predict foraging effort? Patterns of material investment in spider orb webs. J Zool (1987) 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Gregorič
- Institute of Biology Scientific Research Centre Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Ljubljana Slovenia
- Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program University of Akron Akron OH USA
| | - M. Kuntner
- Institute of Biology Scientific Research Centre Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Ljubljana Slovenia
- Department of Entomology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA
- College of Life Sciences Hubei University Wuhan Hubei China
| | - T. A. Blackledge
- Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program University of Akron Akron OH USA
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15
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Zaera R, Soler A, Teus J. Uncovering changes in spider orb-web topology owing to aerodynamic effects. J R Soc Interface 2014; 11:20140484. [PMID: 24966235 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An orb-weaving spider's likelihood of survival is influenced by its ability to retain prey with minimum damage to its web and at the lowest manufacturing cost. This set of requirements has forced the spider silk to evolve towards extreme strength and ductility to a degree that is rare among materials. Previous studies reveal that the performance of the web upon impact may not be based on the mechanical properties of silk alone, aerodynamic drag could play a role in the dissipation of the prey's energy. Here, we present a thorough analysis of the effect of the aerodynamic drag on wind load and prey impact. The hypothesis considered by previous authors for the evaluation of the drag force per unit length of thread has been revisited according to well-established principles of fluid mechanics, highlighting the functional dependence on thread diameter that was formerly ignored. Theoretical analysis and finite-element simulations permitted us to identify air drag as a relevant factor in reducing deterioration of the orb web, and to reveal how the spider can take greater-and not negligible-advantage of drag dissipation. The study shows the beneficial air drag effects of building smaller and less dense webs under wind load, and larger and denser webs under prey impact loads. In essence, it points out why the aerodynamics need to be considered as an additional driving force in the evolution of silk threads and orb webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramón Zaera
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, University Carlos III of Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Soler
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, University Carlos III of Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jaime Teus
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis, University Carlos III of Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
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16
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Chrysostomou D, Sirakoulis GC, Gasteratos A. A bio-inspired multi-camera system for dynamic crowd analysis. Pattern Recognit Lett 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.patrec.2013.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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17
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Adjustment of web-building initiation to high humidity: a constraint by humidity-dependent thread stickiness in the spider Cyrtarachne. Naturwissenschaften 2014; 101:587-93. [PMID: 24916857 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-014-1196-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Cyrtarachne is an orb-weaving spider belonging to the subfamily Cyrtarachninae (Araneidae) which includes triangular-web-building Pasilobus and bolas spiders. The Cyrtarachninae is a group of spiders specialized in catching moths, which is thought to have evolved from ordinary orb-weaving araneids. Although the web-building time of nocturnal spiders is in general related to the time of sunset, anecdotal evidence has suggested variability of web-building time in Cyrtarachne and its closely related genera. This study has examined the effects of temperature, humidity, moonlight intensity, and prey (moths) availability on web-building time of Cyrtarachne bufo, Cyrtarachne akirai, and Cyrtarachne nagasakiensis. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) have revealed that humidity, and not prey availability, was the essential variable that explained the daily variability of web-building time. Experiments measuring thread stickiness under different humidities showed that, although the thread of Cyrtarachne was found to have strong stickiness under high humidity, low humidity caused a marked decrease of thread stickiness. By contrast, no obvious change in stickiness was seen in an ordinary orb-weaving spider, Larinia argiopiformis. These findings suggest that Cyrtarachne adjusts its web-building time to favorable conditions of high humidity maintaining strong stickiness, which enables the threads to work efficiently for capturing prey.
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18
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Eberhard WG. A new view of orb webs: multiple trap designs in a single structure. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William G. Eberhard
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Escuela de Biología; Universidad de Costa Rica; Ciudad Universitaria Costa Rica
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19
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20
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Pugno NM, Cranford SW, Buehler MJ. Synergetic material and structure optimization yields robust spider web anchorages. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2013; 9:2747-2756. [PMID: 23585296 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201201343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2012] [Revised: 11/01/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Millions of years of evolution have adapted spider webs to achieve a range of properties, including the well-known capture of prey, with efficient use of materials. One feature that remains poorly understood is the attachment disc, a network of silk fibers that mechanically anchors a web to its environment. Experimental observations suggest that one possible attachment disc adheres to a substrate through multiple symmetrically branched structures composed of sub-micrometer scale silk fibers. Here, a theoretical model is used to explore the adaptation of the strength of attachment of such an anchorage, and complementary mesoscale simulations are applied to demonstrate a novel mechanism of synergetic material and structural optimization, such that the maximum anchorage strength can be achieved regardless of the initial anchor placement or material type. The optimal delamination (peeling) angle is facilitated by the inherent extensibility of silk, and is attained automatically during the process of delamination. This concept of self-optimizing peeling angle suggests that attachment discs do not require precise placement by the spider, irrespective of adhesion strength. Additional hierarchical branching of the anchorage increases efficiency, where both the delamination force and toughness modulus increase with a splitting of the cross-sectional area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Pugno
- Laboratory of Bioinspired & Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Università di Trento, Via Mesiano, 77 I-38123 Trento, Italy.
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21
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Abstract
In this paper more than 50 incidences of bats being captured by spiders are reviewed. Bat-catching spiders have been reported from virtually every continent with the exception of Antarctica (≈ 90% of the incidences occurring in the warmer areas of the globe between latitude 30° N and 30° S). Most reports refer to the Neotropics (42% of observed incidences), Asia (28.8%), and Australia-Papua New Guinea (13.5%). Bat-catching spiders belong to the mygalomorph family Theraphosidae and the araneomorph families Nephilidae, Araneidae, and Sparassidae. In addition to this, an attack attempt by a large araneomorph hunting spider of the family Pisauridae on an immature bat was witnessed. Eighty-eight percent of the reported incidences of bat catches were attributable to web-building spiders and 12% to hunting spiders. Large tropical orb-weavers of the genera Nephila and Eriophora in particular have been observed catching bats in their huge, strong orb-webs (of up to 1.5 m diameter). The majority of identifiable captured bats were small aerial insectivorous bats, belonging to the families Vespertilionidae (64%) and Emballonuridae (22%) and usually being among the most common bat species in their respective geographic area. While in some instances bats entangled in spider webs may have died of exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, and/or hyperthermia (i.e., non-predation death), there were numerous other instances where spiders were seen actively attacking, killing, and eating the captured bats (i.e., predation). This evidence suggests that spider predation on flying vertebrates is more widespread than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Nyffeler
- Section of Conservation Biology (NLU), Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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Tarakanova A, Buehler MJ. The role of capture spiral silk properties in the diversification of orb webs. J R Soc Interface 2012; 9:3240-8. [PMID: 22896566 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2012.0473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Among a myriad of spider web geometries, the orb web presents a fascinating, exquisite example in architecture and evolution. Orb webs can be divided into two categories according to the capture silk used in construction: cribellate orb webs (composed of pseudoflagelliform silk) coated with dry cribellate threads and ecribellate orb webs (composed of flagelliform silk fibres) coated by adhesive glue droplets. Cribellate capture silk is generally stronger but less-extensible than viscid capture silk, and a body of phylogenic evidence suggests that cribellate capture silk is more closely related to the ancestral form of capture spiral silk. Here, we use a coarse-grained web model to investigate how the mechanical properties of spiral capture silk affect the behaviour of the whole web, illustrating that more elastic capture spiral silk yields a decrease in web system energy absorption, suggesting that the function of the capture spiral shifted from prey capture to other structural roles. Additionally, we observe that in webs with more extensible capture silk, the effect of thread strength on web performance is reduced, indicating that thread elasticity is a dominant driving factor in web diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tarakanova
- Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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23
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Sensenig AT, Lorentz KA, Kelly SP, Blackledge TA. Spider orb webs rely on radial threads to absorb prey kinetic energy. J R Soc Interface 2012; 9:1880-91. [PMID: 22431738 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The kinetic energy of flying insect prey is a formidable challenge for orb-weaving spiders. These spiders construct two-dimensional, round webs from a combination of stiff, strong radial silk and highly elastic, glue-coated capture spirals. Orb webs must first stop the flight of insect prey and then retain those insects long enough to be subdued by the spiders. Consequently, spider silks rank among the toughest known biomaterials. The large number of silk threads composing a web suggests that aerodynamic dissipation may also play an important role in stopping prey. Here, we quantify energy dissipation in orb webs spun by diverse species of spiders using data derived from high-speed videos of web deformation under prey impact. By integrating video data with material testing of silks, we compare the relative contributions of radial silk, the capture spiral and aerodynamic dissipation. Radial silk dominated energy absorption in all webs, with the potential to account for approximately 100 per cent of the work of stopping prey in larger webs. The most generous estimates for the roles of capture spirals and aerodynamic dissipation show that they rarely contribute more than 30 per cent and 10 per cent of the total work of stopping prey, respectively, and then only for smaller orb webs. The reliance of spider orb webs upon internal energy absorption by radial threads for prey capture suggests that the material properties of the capture spirals are largely unconstrained by the selective pressures of stopping prey and can instead evolve freely in response to alternative functional constraints such as adhering to prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Sensenig
- Department of Biology, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063-1799, USA.
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24
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25
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Damping capacity is evolutionarily conserved in the radial silk of orb-weaving spiders. ZOOLOGY 2011; 114:233-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2011.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2010] [Revised: 02/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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26
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Wyman KE, Rodenhouse NL, Bank MS. Mercury bioaccumulation, speciation, and influence on web structure in orb-weaving spiders from a forested watershed. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2011; 30:1873-1878. [PMID: 21544862 DOI: 10.1002/etc.572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 01/13/2011] [Accepted: 04/17/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric deposition is an important source of Hg in remote terrestrial ecosystems of northeastern North America. As high-level invertebrate consumers, orb-weaving spiders (family Araneidae) are excellent subjects for studying the impact of sublethal levels of Hg on forest animals because their webs provide snapshots of behavior and neurological function. Spiders of the diadematus group of the genus Araneus were collected from the Jeffers Brook watershed in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire (USA), and analyzed for Hg content. Webs were photographed and measured to test for correlations between Hg body burden and web structure. Collected spiders contained concentrations of total Hg averaging 44.7 ± 10.0 ng/g Hg (wet mass; mean ± standard deviation), with 37 ± 6% of the total Hg present in the methylmercury form. Mercury loads were likely accumulated through diet (potential prey items contained an average of 43% of the Hg load in collected spiders) and possibly web ingestion. The present study found no direct evidence that the web structure-and thus the prey-capture ability-of spiders in the study area was affected by their Hg body burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Wyman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
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27
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Boutry C, Řezáč M, Blackledge TA. Plasticity in major ampullate silk production in relation to spider phylogeny and ecology. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22467. [PMID: 21818328 PMCID: PMC3144891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider major ampullate silk is a high-performance biomaterial that has received much attention. However, most studies ignore plasticity in silk properties. A better understanding of silk plasticity could clarify the relative importance of chemical composition versus processing of silk dope for silk properties. It could also provide insight into how control of silk properties relates to spider ecology and silk uses. We compared silk plasticity (defined as variation in the properties of silk spun by a spider under different conditions) between three spider clades in relation to their anatomy and silk biochemistry. We found that silk plasticity exists in RTA clade and orbicularian spiders, two clades that differ in their silk biochemistry. Orbiculariae seem less dependent on external spinning conditions. They probably use a valve in their spinning duct to control friction forces and speed during spinning. Our results suggest that plasticity results from different processing of the silk dope in the spinning duct. Orbicularian spiders seem to display better control of silk properties, perhaps in relation to their more complex spinning duct valve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Boutry
- Department of Biology and Integrated Biosciences Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America.
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28
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Humenik M, Scheibel T, Smith A. Spider silk: understanding the structure-function relationship of a natural fiber. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2011; 103:131-85. [PMID: 21999996 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-415906-8.00007-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Spider silk is of great interest because of its extraordinary physical properties, such as strength and toughness. Here we discuss how these physical properties relate to the way in which spiders have utilized this material in prey capture, forcing its evolution to a high-performance fiber. Female spiders can produce up to seven different types of silk, and all these have different physical properties, which relate to their various functions. The variation in properties are due to underlying differences in the proteins making up these silks. As our understanding of spider silk has increased in the recent years, it has been possible to produce recombinant versions of the respective proteins. Recombinant proteins open up the potential to produce synthetic silk fibers with properties similar to those of the natural spider silk threads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Humenik
- Lehrstuhl Biomaterialien, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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29
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Harmer AMT, Blackledge TA, Madin JS, Herberstein ME. High-performance spider webs: integrating biomechanics, ecology and behaviour. J R Soc Interface 2010; 8:457-71. [PMID: 21036911 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silks exhibit remarkable properties, surpassing most natural and synthetic materials in both strength and toughness. Orb-web spider dragline silk is the focus of intense research by material scientists attempting to mimic these naturally produced fibres. However, biomechanical research on spider silks is often removed from the context of web ecology and spider foraging behaviour. Similarly, evolutionary and ecological research on spiders rarely considers the significance of silk properties. Here, we highlight the critical need to integrate biomechanical and ecological perspectives on spider silks to generate a better understanding of (i) how silk biomechanics and web architectures interacted to influence spider web evolution along different structural pathways, and (ii) how silks function in an ecological context, which may identify novel silk applications. An integrative, mechanistic approach to understanding silk and web function, as well as the selective pressures driving their evolution, will help uncover the potential impacts of environmental change and species invasions (of both spiders and prey) on spider success. Integrating these fields will also allow us to take advantage of the remarkable properties of spider silks, expanding the range of possible silk applications from single threads to two- and three-dimensional thread networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M T Harmer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia.
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30
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Heim M, Römer L, Scheibel T. Hierarchical structures made of proteins. The complex architecture of spider webs and their constituent silk proteins. Chem Soc Rev 2009; 39:156-64. [PMID: 20023846 DOI: 10.1039/b813273a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Biopolymers fulfil a variety of different functions in nature. They conduct various processes inside and outside cells and organisms, with a functionality ranging from storage of information to stabilization, protection, shaping, transport, cellular division, or movement of whole organisms. Within the plethora of biopolymers, the most sophisticated group is of proteinaceous origin: the cytoskeleton of a cell is made of protein filaments that aid in pivotal processes like intracellular transport, movement, and cell division; geckos use a distinct arrangement of keratin-like filaments on their toes which enable them to walk up smooth surfaces, such as walls, and even upside down across ceilings; and spiders spin silks that are extra-corporally used for protection of offspring and construction of complex prey traps. The following tutorial review describes the hierarchical organization of protein fibers, using spider dragline silk as an example. The properties of a dragline silk thread originate from the strictly controlled assembly of the underlying protein chains. The assembly procedure leads to protein fibers showing a complex hierarchical organization comprising three different structural phases. This structural organization is responsible for the outstanding mechanical properties of individual fibers, which out-compete even those of high-performance artificial fibers like Kevlar. Web-weaving spiders produce, in addition to dragline silk, other silks with distinct properties, based on slightly variant constituent proteins--a feature that allows construction of highly sophisticated spider webs with well designed architectures and with optimal mechanical properties for catching prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Heim
- Lehrstuhl für Biomaterialien, Fakultät für Angewandte Naturwissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
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31
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Boutry C, Blackledge TA. Biomechanical variation of silk links spinning plasticity to spider web function. ZOOLOGY 2009; 112:451-60. [PMID: 19720511 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2009.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2008] [Revised: 02/24/2009] [Accepted: 03/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Spider silk is renowned for its high tensile strength, extensibility and toughness. However, the variability of these material properties has largely been ignored, especially at the intra-specific level. Yet, this variation could help us understand the function of spider webs. It may also point to the mechanisms used by spiders to control their silk production, which could be exploited to expand the potential range of applications for silk. In this study, we focus on variation of silk properties within different regions of cobwebs spun by the common house spider, Achaearanea tepidariorum. The cobweb is composed of supporting threads that function to maintain the web shape and hold spiders and prey, and of sticky gumfooted threads that adhere to insects during prey capture. Overall, structural properties, especially thread diameter, are more variable than intrinsic material properties, which may reflect past directional selection on certain silk performance. Supporting threads are thicker and able to bear higher loads, both before deforming permanently and before breaking, compared with sticky gumfooted threads. This may facilitate the function of supporting threads through sustained periods of time. In contrast, sticky gumfooted threads are more elastic, which may reduce the forces that prey apply to webs and allow them to contact multiple sticky capture threads. Therefore, our study suggests that spiders actively modify silk material properties during spinning in ways that enhance web function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Boutry
- Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.
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32
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Mayntz D, Toft S, Vollrath F. Nutrient balance affects foraging behaviour of a trap-building predator. Biol Lett 2009; 5:735-8. [PMID: 19640870 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Predator foraging may be affected by previous prey capture, but it is unknown how nutrient balance affects foraging behaviour. Here, we use a trap-building predator to test whether nutrients from previous prey captures affect foraging behaviour. We fed orb-weaving spiders (Zygiella x-notata) prey flies of different nutrient composition and in different amounts during their first instar and measured the subsequent frequency of web building and aspects of web architecture. We found that both the likelihood of web building and the number of radii in the web were affected by prey nutrient composition while prey availability affected capture area and mesh height. Our results show that both the balance of nutrients in captured prey and the previous capture rate may affect future foraging behaviour of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mayntz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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33
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Swanson BO, Anderson SP, DiGiovine C, Ross RN, Dorsey JP. The evolution of complex biomaterial performance: The case of spider silk. Integr Comp Biol 2009; 49:21-31. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icp013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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34
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Boutry C, Blackledge TA. The common house spider alters the material and mechanical properties of cobweb silk in response to different prey. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 309:542-52. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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35
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Opell BD, Markley BJ, Hannum CD, Hendricks ML. The contribution of axial fiber extensibility to the adhesion of viscous capture threads spun by orb-weaving spiders. J Exp Biol 2008; 211:2243-51. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.016147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
The viscous capture threads produced by over 4000 species of orb-weaving spiders are formed of regularly spaced aqueous droplets supported by a pair of axial fibers. These threads register increased stickiness when spans of increasing lengths contact a surface, indicating that adhesion is recruited from multiple droplets. This study examined threads produced by five species to test the hypothesis that axial fiber extensibility is crucial for this summation of adhesion. It did so by comparing the stickiness of unstretched threads with threads that had been elongated to reduce the extensibility of their axial fibers. As stretching these threads also increased the distance between their droplets, we measured the stickiness of stretched threads with contact plates whose widths were increased in proportion to the degree of thread elongation. We then accounted for the actual thread elongation achieved for each individual's threads and for differences in the five species'absolute thread extensibility. The results showed that in four species thread extensibility contributed positively to adhesion. For three species, thread extensibility and droplet volume together explained the mean per droplet adhesion of threads. Models based on these three species show that, as threads were elongated, increasing amounts of potential adhesion were lost to diminished axial fiber extensibility. These models indicate that approximately one-third of an unstretched viscous thread's stickiness accrues from the adhesive recruitment made possible by axial fiber extensibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent D. Opell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Brian J. Markley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Charles D. Hannum
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Mary L. Hendricks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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36
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SCHARFF NIKOLAJ, CODDINGTON JONATHANA. A phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Zool J Linn Soc 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1997.tb01281.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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37
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GRISWOLD CHARLESE, CODDINGTON JONATHANA, HORMIGA GUSTAVO, SCHARFF NIKOLAJ. Phylogeny of the orb-web building spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae: Deinopoidea, Araneoidea). Zool J Linn Soc 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1998.tb01290.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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38
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Opell BD. The material cost and stickiness of capture threads and the evolution of orb-weaving spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1997.tb01635.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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39
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OPELL BRENTD, BOND JASONE. Capture thread extensibility of orb-weaving spiders: testing punctuated and associative explanations of character evolution. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb00203.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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40
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OPELL BRENTD. Changes in spinning anatomy and thread stickiness associated with the origin of orb-weaving spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1999.tb01190.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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41
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CARTAN CLAIREK, MIYASHITA TADASHI. Extraordinary web and silk properties of Cyrtarachne (Araneae, Araneidae): a possible link between orb-webs and bolas. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb01255.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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42
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Swanson BO, Blackledge TA, Hayashi CY. Spider capture silk: performance implications of variation in an exceptional biomaterial. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 307:654-66. [PMID: 17853401 DOI: 10.1002/jez.420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Spiders and their silk are an excellent system for connecting the properties of biological materials to organismal ecology. Orb-weaving spiders spin sticky capture threads that are moderately strong but exceptionally extensible, resulting in fibers that can absorb remarkable amounts of energy. These tough fibers are thought to be adapted for arresting flying insects. Using tensile testing, we ask whether patterns can be discerned in the evolution of silk material properties and the ecological uses of spider capture fibers. Here, we present a large comparative data set that allows examination of capture silk properties across orb-weaving spider species. We find that material properties vary greatly across species. Notably, extensibility, strength, and toughness all vary approximately sixfold across species. These material differences, along with variation in fiber size, dictate that the mechanical performance of capture threads, the energy and force required to break fibers, varies by more than an order of magnitude across species. Furthermore, some material and mechanical properties are evolutionarily correlated. For example, species that spin small diameter fibers tend to have tougher silk, suggesting compensation to maintain breaking energy. There is also a negative correlation between strength and extensibility across species, indicating a potential evolutionary trade-off. The different properties of these capture silks should lead to differences in the performance of orb webs during prey capture and help to define feeding niches in spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brook O Swanson
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington 99258, USA.
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43
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Blackledge TA, Eliason CM. Functionally independent components of prey capture are architecturally constrained in spider orb webs. Biol Lett 2007; 3:456-8. [PMID: 17609173 PMCID: PMC2391179 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary conflict in trait performance under different ecological contexts is common, but may also arise from functional coupling between traits operating within the same context. Orb webs first intercept and then retain insects long enough to be attacked by spiders. Improving either function increases prey capture and they are largely determined by different aspects of web architecture. We manipulated the mesh width of orbs to investigate its effect, along with web size, on prey capture by spiders and found that they functioned independently. Probability of prey capture increased with web size but was not affected by mesh width. Conversely, spiders on narrow-meshed webs were almost three times more likely to capture energetically profitable large insects, which demand greater prey retention. Yet, the two functions are still constrained during web spinning because increasing mesh width maximizes web size and hence interception, while retention is improved by decreasing mesh width because more silk adheres to insects. The architectural coupling between prey interception and retention has probably played a key role in both the macroevolution of orb web shape and the expression of plasticity in the spinning behaviours of spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Blackledge
- Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.
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44
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Opell BD, Hendricks ML. Adhesive recruitment by the viscous capture threads of araneoid orb-weaving spiders. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 210:553-60. [PMID: 17267640 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The sticky prey capture threads of orb-webs are critical to web performance. By retaining insects that strike the web, these spirally arrayed threads allow a spider time to locate and subdue prey. The viscous capture threads spun by modern orb-weaving spiders of the Araneoidea clade replaced the dry, fuzzy cribellar capture threads of the Deinopoidea and feature regularly spaced moist, adhesive droplets. The stickiness of a cribellar thread is limited by its tendency to peel from a surface after the adhesion generated at the edges of contact is exceeded. In this study we test the hypothesis that viscous thread overcomes this limitation by implementing a suspension bridge mechanism (SBM) that recruits the adhesion of multiple thread droplets. We do so by using contact plates of four widths to measure the stickiness of six species' viscous threads whose profiles range from small, closely spaced droplets to large, widely spaced droplets. The increased stickiness registered by an increased number of thread droplets supports the operation of a SBM. However, the accompanying decrease in mean per droplet adhesion shows that droplets interior to the edges of thread contact contribute successively less adhesion. Models developed from these data suggest that the suspension bridge mechanism is limited to a span of approximately 12 droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent D Opell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
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45
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Craig CL, Wolf SG, Davis JLD, Hauber ME, Maas JL. SIGNAL POLYMORPHISM IN THE WEB-DECORATING SPIDER ARGIOPE ARGENTATA IS CORRELATED WITH REDUCED SURVIVORSHIP AND THE PRESENCE OF STINGLESS BEES, ITS PRIMARY PREY. Evolution 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00615.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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46
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Tso IM, Chiang SY, Blackledge TA. Does the Giant Wood Spider Nephila pilipes Respond to Prey Variation by Altering Web or Silk Properties? Ethology 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01318.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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47
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Abstract
Assessing the architectural optimality of animal constructions is in most cases extremely difficult, but is feasible for antlion larvae, which dig simple pits in sand to catch ants. Slope angle, conicity and the distance between the head and the trap bottom, known as off-centring, were measured using a precise scanning device. Complete attack sequences in the same pits were then quantified, with predation cost related to the number of behavioural items before capture. Off-centring leads to a loss of architectural efficiency that is compensated by complex attack behaviour. Off-centring happened in half of the cases and corresponded to post-construction movements. In the absence of off-centring, the trap is perfectly conical and the angle is significantly smaller than the crater angle, a physical constant of sand that defines the steepest possible slope. Antlions produce efficient traps, with slopes steep enough to guide preys to their mouths without any attack, and shallow enough to avoid the likelihood of avalanches typical of crater angles. The reasons for the paucity of simplest and most efficient traps such as theses in the animal kingdom are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnold Fertin
- Université de Tours, IRBI UMR CNRS 6035, Parc Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France.
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Swanson BO, Blackledge TA, Summers AP, Hayashi CY. SPIDER DRAGLINE SILK: CORRELATED AND MOSAIC EVOLUTION IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS. Evolution 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2006.tb01888.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Opell BD, Bond JE, Warner DA. The effects of capture spiral composition and orb-web orientation on prey interception. ZOOLOGY 2006; 109:339-45. [PMID: 16962752 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2006.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2005] [Revised: 03/15/2006] [Accepted: 04/10/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cribellar prey capture threads found in primitive, horizontal orb-webs reflect more light, including ultraviolet wavelengths, than viscous threads found in more derived, vertical orb-webs. Low web visibility and vertical orientation are each thought to increase prey interception and may represent key innovations that contributed to the greater diversity of modern, araneoid orb-weaving spiders. This study compares prey interception rates of cribellate orb-webs constructed by Uloborus glomosus (Uloboridae) with viscous orb-webs constructed by Leucauge venusta (Tetragnathidae) and Micrathena gracilis (Araneidae). We placed sectors of cribellar and viscous threads side by side in frames that were oriented either horizontally or vertically. The webs of both U. glomosus and L. venusta intercepted more prey when vertically oriented. In each orientation L. venusta webs intercepted more insects than did U. glomosus. Although this is consistent with the greater visibility of cribellar threads, the more closely spaced capture spirals of L. venusta may have contributed to this difference. Micrathena gracilis webs intercepted more prey than did U. glomosus webs, although web orientation did not affect the performance of this araneoid species. The stickier and more closely spaced capture spirals of M. gracilis may have enhanced the interception rates of this species and accounted for the greater number of smaller dipterans retained in its webs. The tendency for these slow, weak flight insects to be blown into both horizontal and vertical webs may account for similar interception rates of horizontal and vertical M. gracilis webs. These observations support the enhanced prey interception of vertically oriented orb-webs, but offer only qualified support for the contributions of lower visibility viscous capture threads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent D Opell
- Department of Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
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