Spiderwebs and spider silk, explained - National Geographic

Equipped with such a versatile material, spiders have evolved to create a wondrous assortment of webs. There are horizontal sheet webs that ... SkiptocontentRenewSubscribeMenuPleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.1/61/6

Spidersdon’tjustusesilktobuildwebs.Theycanalsouseitto“balloon”upintotheair.Here,amoneyspider(Tenuiphantessp.)intheUnitedKingdompreparesforflightbyreleasingathindraglineupintothewind.

Spidersdon’tjustusesilktobuildwebs.Theycanalsouseitto“balloon”upintotheair.Here,amoneyspider(Tenuiphantessp.)intheUnitedKingdompreparesforflightbyreleasingathindraglineupintothewind. PhotographbyMichaelHutchinsonSpidersilkisoneofthemostversatilematerialsonEarth.Actuallyaproteincreatedbyspecialorgansknownasspinnerets,spidersilkcanbeusedfortransportation,shelter,courtship,andallkindsofcreativewaystotrapprey.Somespiderscanproducemorethanonetypeofsilk.Acommonorb-web,forexample,maycontainatleastfourdifferentkinds,eachaddingadifferentcomponent,suchasstrength,flexibility,andstickiness.Equippedwithsuchaversatilematerial,spidershaveevolvedtocreateawondrousassortmentofwebs.Therearehorizontalsheetwebsthatcatchfallingpreyandverticallatticeworkwebsthatinterceptflyingprey.Blackwidowwebsaremessyaffairs,whilefunnelwebsandlampshadewebscanresemblethree-dimensionalsculptures.SpidersintheTheridiosomatidaefamilybuildconicalwebsthatcanfireaspideratnearbypreylikeaslingshot,whileogre-facedspidersnabtheirmealswithhand-heldnets.(Readaboutthespiderthatusesitswebtoshootitselffasterthanarocket.)TheredbackspiderofAustraliaspinsatangledwebwithsticky,“gum-footed”linesthatstretchstraightdowntothegroundlikeabeadedcurtain.Whenantsorcricketsbrushupagainstoneofthesetendrils,thelinesnagsthepreyandthensnaps,drawingthehelplesscreatureupintotheairwhereitwilldangleuntiltheredbackdecidestoeatit.“SomespidersproduceasilkthatislowinUVreflectionandisalsotranslucent,soinsectscan’tseeit,”saysCatherineCraig,anevolutionarybiologistandauthorofSpiderSilk:Evolutionand400MillionYearsofSpinning,Waiting,Snagging,andMating.Ontheothersideofthespectrum,therearespidersilksthatreflectultravioletlightandappearblueatcertainangles.Inthetropics,thereareevenspidersintheNephilagenusthatinfusetheirsilkswithcarotenoids,which,whenthesunhitsthem,makesthewebsseemasiftheyweredippedinliquidgold.Bolasspidersskipweb-buildingaltogether.Theseclevercreaturesluremothsinclosewithpheromonesandthenswattheinsectsoutofmidairwithasinglepieceofsticky,weightedsilkthattheyswingaroundlikeamace.GnaphosidsshootsilkattheirpreylikeSpiderman.Andthey’renotalone.Ofthecloseto50,000spiderspeciesknowntoscience,mostdonotproducewebsatall,saysCraig.Butallspidersproducesilk.Thewaysinwhichtheyusethismaterialareasvariedastheyarefascinating.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Pleaseberespectfulofcopyright.Unauthorizeduseisprohibited.Left:Anorb-weaverspiderwebsparklesintheearlymorningdew.PhotographbyBrianGordonGreen,NatGeoImageCollectionRight:Usingspecialorganscalledspinnerets,somespiderspecieshaveevolvedtoproducemanydifferentkindsofsilk.Eachhasitsownuse.Somearesticky,whileothersarestrongorflexible.Asinglewebmayconsistofseveraldifferentkindsofsilk,dependingonwhatthespiderwilluseitfor.PhotographbyJasonEdwards,NatGeoImageCollectionHomeiswherethesilkisForhundredsofmillionsofyears,beforetheevolutionofwebs,andevenbeforetherewerefliestocatchinthem,spidersusedtheirsilkglandsforshelter.“Spidersilkisincrediblystrongandflexible,”saysCatherineScott,anarachnologistattheUniversityofTorontoScarborough.“Italsotendstobeverycleanandhaveanti-microbialproperties,becausespidersdon’twantmoldsandmicrobesgrowingontheirwebs.”Somespiders,likethoseonthe300-million-year-oldMesothelaebranchofthespiderfamilytree,digburrowsonslopesandbanksandlinethemwithlayersofgauze-likesilk.Next,thesespidersconstructcircular,hobbit-holedoorscompletewithasilk-boundhinge.Notonlydoesthishidethespidersfrompredatorsandenablethemtopounceonunsuspectingprey,butthedoorssealthepredatorsofffromtheworldandallowthespiderstoregulatetheburrow’stemperatureandhumidity—andevenprotectthemagainstflooding.Pursewebspidersbuildsilkentunnelsthatslinkupthesidesoftrees.Mostpeoplenevernoticethem,though,becausethestructuresarecoveredindirtandotherbitsofdebris.1:22SeeacreekblanketedinspiderwebsNormallysolitary,theselong-jawedspidersaccumulatedinhugenumbersatthetheNahalSoreqCreektohuntamosquitoinfestation.“Youwillalmostneverseethespider,becauseitisinsideofthattunnelanditextendsintotheground,”saysSebastianEcheverri,anarachnologistandscienceeducatorattheUniversityofPittsburgh.“Andwhenpreywalksalongthetunnel,thespiderfeelsthevibrations,anditwillactuallyrunupontheinsideandbitethroughthesilkandgrabthepreywithitsfangs,envenomateit,anddragitbackinside.”Andthenthere’sthedivingbellspider.“So,thisisaspiderthatlivesitsentirelifeunderwaterbytyingtogethersomevegetationwithitssilkenweb,”saysEcheverri.Thesespiderscan’tbreatheunderwater,though,sotheymakerepeatedtripstothesurfacetocaptureairbubbleswithspeciallyadaptedhairs.Oncebackintheirunderwatervegetationdens,theythenwipethesebubblesoffandbringthemintothewebtoformatiny,oxygen-richsanctuarywheretheycanhidefrompredatorsandlayeggs.“That’saspiderthatjustdefiesmostspider-likethings,”saysEcheverri.GettingaroundWhilesilkisanexcellentbuildingmaterial,itcanalsobeusedfortransportation.Jumpingspidersareconstantlyleapingacrosschasms,forinstance.Theyprotectthemselvesagainstfallsbyanchoringasilksafetylinetotheirperch.Thisallowsjumpingspiderstocrawlbacktowheretheystartediftheymisstheirmark.Itevenallowschangedirectionsoncethey’reairbornewithaquicktugofthedrag-line.Mostspidersaretiny,buttheycantravelbetweentreesoracrossenormousgapsthroughaprocessknownas“bridging.”Allthespiderneedstodoisletoutalineofsilkintothewindandthenpullittautonceitconnectstosomethingoutintheworld.Thearachniddoesn’treallyknowwhereit’sgoing,ofcourse,butitbeatscrawling.“AndthenI’dberemissnottomentionhowspiderscanfly,”saysEcheverri.Similartobridging,numerousspiderspeciesareableto“balloon”upintotheskybyreleasingstrandsofsilkthatgetpickedupbythewindandEarth’selectricalfields.Ballooningspidershavebeenfoundfloatingmorethantwomileshighandthousandsofmilesoutatsea.1:07SpiderspinsballoonstoflyawayWatchacrabspiderissurveythewindconditionwithitsleghairsandtakeflight.Canyousmellmenow?Spidersilkisn’tjuststrong,stretchy,andsticky—itcanbestinky,too.“Weknowthatfemalespidershavepheromonesontheirsilk,”saysScott.InarecentstudypublishedinProceedingsoftheRoyalSocietyB:BiologicalSciences,Scottshowedthatmaleblackwidowscandetectthesecome-hitherscentsfromnearly200feetawayandusethemasacompasstofindafemale.What’smore,Scott’sresearchshowedthatsomemalescanmaketheirwaytoafemaleevenfasterbyfollowingthedrag-linesleftbythemalesthathavecomebeforethem.Themaleswereevenabletosniffoutthedifferencebetweensilkleftbytheirrivalsandstrandslaiddownbymalesofanotherclosely-relatedspecies,thefalsewidow.Gettingiton“Silkisacommunicationmethod,”saysScott.“Itworkschemically,usingpheromones,butthenforweb-buildingspiders,itisalsoadancefloorusedformalecourtshipdisplays.”Partlytowoothefemaleandpartlytoconvinceherheisasuitorratherthandinner,malesofmanyspecieswilltap,pluck,andotherwisesendvibrationsthroughoutthefemale’sweb.Malesmayalsoremodelthefemale’swebbylayingdownsilkofhisownordestroywholesectionsofit,perhapsinanattempttohidethefemalefromothermalesinthearea.Elsewhereinthematingandreproductiongame,spidersusesilktosafeguardtheireggsandbuildnurserywebstoprotecttheirspiderlings.Malesofsomespeciesusesilktogift-wrapfooditems,whichtheythengivetofemalesinanattempttowootheirfavor,thoughsometimesaspiderwilltrytocheatthefemalebywrappinguparockorseedinstead.“Bythetimeshegetstowhat’sinsideandrealizesit’snotfood,hemighthavegottenawaywithacopulation,”saysScott.Silkcanalsobeusedtotieafemaleupduringcourtship.Thisiscalled“matebinding”orthe“bridalveil.”Andwhileitmaysoundstrange,thisbehaviormaymakethefemalemorereceptivetomatingbybringinghersensoryhairsintocontactwiththemale’spheromone-ladensilk.(Seeavideoofspidermatebinding.)Ofcourse,thesilkbindingmayserveamorestraightforwardpurpose.“Physicallyrestraininghercanalsopreventcannibalism,”saysScott.ShareTweetEmailReadThisNextUkrainianballetdancerssymbolizeagreaterstruggleHistory&CultureUkrainianballetdancerssymbolizeagreaterstruggle“CultureisadedicatedtargetintheRussianwarstrategy.”Buttheseballetdancers—displacedinFrance—willkeepperforming.CanIndiacleanupitsholiestriver?MagazineCanIndiacleanupitsholiestriver?RiddingtheGangesofthousandsoftonsofplastictrashisacomplexpuzzle.Indiaisstartingtoputthepiecestogether.KillingcockroacheswithpesticidesisonlymakingthespeciesstrongerAnimalsKillingcockroacheswithpesticidesisonlymakingthespeciesstrongerAmericansneedalesstoxicapproachtomanagingthemostcommoncockroaches,whichareevolvingresistancetostore-boughtinsecticides.Howagame-changingtransplantcouldtreatdyingorgansScienceHowagame-changingtransplantcouldtreatdyingorgansEarlysuccesswithaprocedurecalledamitochondrialtransplantoffersaglimmerofhopeforpeoplefightingforsurvivalaftercardiacarrest,stroke,andmore.GoFurtherAnimalsTwonewspeciesofsee-throughfrognamedAnimalsTwonewspeciesofsee-throughfrognamedKillingcockroacheswithpesticidesisonlymakingthespeciesstrongerAnimalsKillingcockroacheswithpesticidesisonlymakingthespeciesstrongerAncientprairiemaysoonberazedbyairportAnimalsAncientprairiemaysoonberazedbyairportThekingcobraislikelya‘royalfamily’offourspeciesAnimalsThekingcobraislikelya‘royalfamily’offourspeciesNamibia’swildelephantsalesdrawglobalcondemnationAnimalsWildlifeWatchNamibia’swildelephantsalesdrawglobalcondemnationFirst-everphotosshowbobcateatingpythoneggsAnimalsFirst-everphotosshowbobcateatingpythoneggsEnvironmentInsidetheplantosavesomeofthebiggestfreshwaterfishEnvironmentPlanetPossibleInsidetheplantosavesomeofthebiggestfreshwaterfishCanIndiacleanupitsholiestriver?MagazineCanIndiacleanupitsholiestriver?WhatistheStrategicPetroleumReserve?EnvironmentWhatistheStrategicPetroleumReserve?AllergyseasonisabouttogetworseEnvironmentAllergyseasonisabouttogetworseHowtogroceryshoptohelptheenvironmentMagazinePlanetPossibleHowtogroceryshoptohelptheenvironmentHistoricdroughtloomsfor20millionlivinginHornofAfricaEnvironmentHistoricdroughtloomsfor20millionlivinginHornofAfricaHistory&CultureWomenphotographerschangedthewayweseetheworldHistory&CultureWomen'sHistoryMonthWomenphotographerschangedthewayweseetheworldUkrainianballetdancerssymbolizeagreaterstruggleHistory&CultureUkrainianballetdancerssymbolizeagreaterstruggleThis'CountessofComputing'wrotethefirstcomputerprogramHistoryMagazineThis'CountessofComputing'wrotethefirstcomputerprogramThisdoctorbravesmountainsbyhorsebacktomakehousecallsHistory&CultureThisdoctorbrave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