Spiders avoid sticking to their webs: clever leg movements,branched drip-tip setae,and anti-adhesive surfaces

Orb-weaving spiders construct webs with adhesive silk but are not trapped by it. Previous studies have attributed this defense to an oily coating on their legs that protects against adhesion or, more recently, to behavioral avoidance of sticky lines. The old evidence is very weak, however, and the behavioral avoidance explanation is inadequate because orb-weavers push with their hind legs against sticky lines hundreds or thousands of times during construction of each orb and are not trapped. Video analyses of behavior and experimental observations of isolated legs pulling away from contact with sticky lines showed that the spider uses three anti-adhesion traits: dense arrays of branched setae on the legs that reduce the area of contact with adhesive material; careful engagement and withdrawal movements of its legs that minimize contact with the adhesive and that avoid pulling against the line itself; and a chemical coating or surface layer that reduces adhesion.     

A novel marine silk

The discovery of a novel silk production system in a marine amphipod provides insights into the wider potential of natural silks. The tube-building corophioid amphipod Crassicorophium bonellii produces from its legs fibrous, adhesive underwater threads that combine barnacle cement biology with aspects of spider silk thread extrusion spinning. We characterised the filamentous silk as a mixture of mucopolysaccharides and protein deriving from glands representing two distinct types. The carbohydrate and protein silk secretion is dominated by complex β-sheet structures and a high content of charged amino acid residues. The filamentous secretion product exits the gland through a pore near the tip of the secretory leg after having moved through a duct, which subdivides into several small ductules all terminating in a spindle-shaped chamber. This chamber communicates with the exterior and may be considered the silk reservoir and processing/mixing space, in which the silk is mechanically and potentially chemically altered and becomes fibrous. We assert that further study of this probably independently evolved, marine arthropod silk processing and secretion system can provide not only important insights into the more complex arachnid and insect silks but also into crustacean adhesion cements.     

Consequences of electrical conductivity in an orb spider's capture web

The glue-coated and wet capture spiral of the orb web of the garden cross spider Araneus diadematus is suspended between the dry silk radial and web frame threads. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that the capture spiral is electrically conductive because of necks of liquid connecting the droplets even if the thread is stretched. We examine how this conductivity of the capture spiral may lead to entrapment of charged airborne particles such as pollen, spray droplets and even insects. We further describe and model how the conducting spiral will also locally distort the Earth's ambient electric field. Finally, we examine the hypothesis that such distortion could be used by potential prey to detect the presence of a web but conclude that any effect would probably be too small to allow an insect to take evasive action.     

Optimal web investment in sub-optimal foraging conditions

Orb web spiders sit at the centre of their approximately circular webs when waiting for prey and so face many of the same challenges as central-place foragers. Prey value decreases with distance from the hub as a function of prey escape time. The further from the hub that prey are intercepted, the longer it takes a spider to reach them and the greater chance they have of escaping. Several species of orb web spiders build vertically elongated ladder-like orb webs against tree trunks, rather than circular orb webs in the open. As ladder web spiders invest disproportionately more web area further from the hub, it is expected they will experience reduced prey gain per unit area of web investment compared to spiders that build circular webs. We developed a model to investigate how building webs in the space-limited microhabitat on tree trunks influences the optimal size, shape and net prey gain of arboricolous ladder webs. The model suggests that as horizontal space becomes more limited, optimal web shape becomes more elongated, and optimal web area decreases. This change in web geometry results in decreased net prey gain compared to webs built without space constraints. However, when space is limited, spiders can achieve higher net prey gain compared to building typical circular webs in the same limited space. Our model shows how spiders optimise web investment in sub-optimal conditions and can be used to understand foraging investment trade-offs in other central-place foragers faced with constrained foraging arenas.     

Mass predicts web asymmetry in Nephila spiders

The architecture of vertical aerial orb webs may be affected by spider size and gravity or by the available web space, in addition to phylogenetic and/or developmental factors. Vertical orb web asymmetry measured by hub displacement has been shown to increase in bigger and heavier spiders; however, previous studies have mostly focused on adult and subadult spiders or on several size classes with measured size parameters but no mass. Both estimations are suboptimal because (1) adult orb web spiders may not invest heavily in optimal web construction, whereas juveniles do; (2) size class/developmental stage is difficult to estimate in the field and is thus subjective, and (3) mass scales differently to size and is therefore more important in predicting aerial foraging success due to gravity. We studied vertical web asymmetry in a giant orb web spider, Nephila pilipes, across a wide range of size classes/developmental stages and tested the hypothesis that vertical web asymmetry (measured as hub displacement) is affected by gravity. On a sample of 100 webs, we found that hubs were more displaced in heavier and larger juveniles and that spider mass explained vertical web asymmetry better than other measures of spider size (carapace and leg lengths, developmental stage). Quantifying web shape via the ladder index suggested that, unlike in other nephilid taxa, growing Nephila orbs do not become vertically elongated. We conclude that the ontogenetic pattern of progressive vertical web asymmetry in Nephila can be explained by optimal foraging due to gravity, to which the opposing selective force may be high web-building costs in the lower orb. Recent literature finds little support for alternative explanations of ontogenetic orb web allometry such as the size limitation hypothesis and the biogenetic law.     

Mechanics and Morphology of Silk Drawn from Anesthetized Spiders

 CO₂ and N₂ anesthetized Nephila spiders produced dragline silk with mechanical properties that differed from control silk as a function of time under anesthesia. Silk from CO₂ spiders had a significantly lower breaking strain and breaking energy, significantly higher initial modulus, and marginally lower breaking stress. At the onset of anesthesia the silk diameter became highly variable. During deep anesthesia silk either became thinner or retained cross-section but fibrillated. Received: 26 August 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 22 December 1999     

Spider orientation and hub position in orb webs

Orb-web building spiders (Araneae: Araneoidea, Uloboridae) can be considered as territorial central place foragers. In territorial central place foragers, the optimal foraging arena is circular, with the forager sitting in its centre. In orb webs, the spider’s orientation (head up or head down) whilst waiting for prey on the hub of its web and the downwards–upwards asymmetry of its running speeds are the probable causes for the observed deviation of the hub from the web’s centre. Here, we present an analytical model and a more refined simulation model to analyse the relationships amongst the spider’s running speeds, its orientation whilst waiting for prey and the vertical asymmetry of orb webs. The results of our models suggest that (a) waiting for prey head down is generally favourable because it allows the spider to reach the prey in its web on average quicker than spiders waiting head up, (b) the downwards–upwards running speed asymmetry, together with the head-down orientation of most spiders, are likely causes for the observed vertical asymmetry of orb webs, (c) waiting head up can be advantageous for spiders whose downwards–upwards running speed asymmetry is small and who experience high prey tumbling rates and (d) spiders waiting head up should place their hub lower than similar spiders waiting head down.     

Influence of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on the micro-structural properties of spider dragline silk: X-ray microdiffraction results

The mechanical properties of spider dragline fibres are altered by CO₂ exposure under anaesthetizing conditions during the spinning process. In order to relate these macroscopic changes to a microscopic model, the extrusion of dragline silk was studied by synchrotron radiation microdiffraction. A brief exposure of a female Nephila senigalensis spider to CO₂ results after an incubation time of less than 7 min in the extrusion of a thread (two fibres) swollen with water. The data are interpreted for a model of crystalline -sheet domains containing nanofibrils, which reinforce a network of protein chains. The protein network absorbs water, leaving the nanofibrils unaffected. A continuous flow of CO₂ results in a co-extrusion of a dragline thread and an isotropic silk fraction, which probably has a glycine-rich sequence. Long CO₂ exposure reduces the axial alignment of nanofibrils, presumably due to a partial destruction of the amorphous network.     

Spider silk has an ice nucleation activity

Several ice nucleating substances have been identified, which exist in vivo or can be extracted from biological materials. Spider silk, which has a strong ability for water condensation, has also been found to possess an ice nucleation activity. The freezing temperature of water droplets was higher in the presence than in the absence of spider silk. Moreover, by means of environmental scanning electron microscopy, it was observed that the activity is not due to foreign matter attached to the silk but to the silk fibroin itself.     

Symbiotic bacteria in hornet pupal silk

The silk weave spun by hornet larvae before undergoing pupal metamorphosis is composed of fibers and sheets, both containing symbiotic bacteria. The bacteria are secreted from the silk gland and are glued to the secreted silk, which is made up of amino-acid polymers. In the dark, it possesses at first an electric current amounting to several hundred nanoamperes (nA) (i.e., a thermoelectric property), and a high electric capacitance of up to several milliFarads (mF). This electrical charge is used gradually by the developing pupa. The symbiotic bacteria penetrate through slits in the coat of the silk fibers to the core or into pockets in the sheets, where they gradually digest parts of the silk weave, thereby nullifying its mechanical properties and facilitating in due time the egress of the imago from the puparium.     

Body-mass-dependent cost of web-building behavior in an orb weaving spider,Zygiella x-notata

In numerous spider species, reproductive success of adult females has been shown to be positively correlated with their body mass. We suggest, however, that spiders may incur greater foraging costs as their body mass increases due to the numerous and complex locomotor bouts needed to build an orb-web. Such a body-mass-dependent cost should, in turn, affect the web-building decisions of spiders. In the laboratory, we tested the influence of body mass on energetic expenditure (measured as mass loss) during web-building behavior in Zygiella x-notata. Our results showed (1) that energetic costs associated with web-building were closely related to body mass and to web-building activity, and (2) that as their body mass increased, spiders reduced the amount of silk used per web, while their foraging effort simultaneously increased. This work gives new insights into web-building behavior and energy allocation strategies of weaving spiders.     

中国湿巾代谢分析及环境影响评估

为评估湿巾塑料消耗及污染现状,比较不同材质湿巾环境影响表现,开展了中国湿巾"生产-使用-废弃处置"全过程物质流分析,通过市场调研获知湿巾材质分布,开展全国消费者问卷调查获知废弃湿巾流向.对不同材质湿巾开展全生命周期环境影响评价,系统比较评估其环境影响.结果表明,"70%聚酯纤维+30%粘胶纤维"混合材质湿巾是中国最为常见的湿巾类型,2019年中国湿巾用塑量达41万t,经消费者使用丢弃后约有18.9%直接泄露进入自然环境.在焚烧、填埋处置方式中,全粘胶纤维湿巾全生命周期综合环境影响比全聚酯纤维湿巾低38%,前者水污染突出但资源消耗、毒性风险优势明显;在直接泄露方式中,全粘胶纤维湿巾可避免聚酯纤维泄露后崩解为微塑料纤维的环境风险.     

沟塘水质及其周边浅层地下水PAHs的风险评价

为探讨农村居民区沟塘水质对周边浅层地下水的影响,在河南省某县选择典型沟塘,分别在枯水期和丰水期采集沟塘水和周边浅层地下水样品,采用高效液相色谱检测16种多环芳烃（PAHs）的含量,分别描述并比较枯丰水期PAHs的污染特征及其生态与健康风险.结果表明,枯水期沟塘水中BaP含量、∑PAHs、TEQ（BaP）含量和致癌性PAHs占比分别为0.911ng/L、29.3ng/L、1.64ng/L和28.1%,均低于丰水期;浅层地下水中各指标分别为5.37ng/L、291ng/L、12.5ng/L和25.9%,高于丰水期.枯丰水期沟塘水和浅层地下水中PAHs均主要源于生物质和煤炭燃烧.浅层地下水PAHs的含量与沟塘水具有关联性,即距离沟塘越近,PAHs含量越高,枯水期的关联性低于丰水期.饮用浅层地下水致PAHs暴露的累积非致癌风险HQ为2.21x10^-3;累积致癌风险R为1.56x10^-6,72.0%成人R大于1x10^-6,枯水期BaA、BbF和InP对成人致癌风险的贡献分别为72.1%、9.10%和4.80%.枯水期沟塘水PAHs总量为低等生态风险,丰水期为中等风险,不同沟塘其生态风险不同.纳污的C5沟塘水丰水期PAHs为高生态风险水平,BaA的贡献最大（占40.7%）;纳污和养殖的A2枯水期和C3沟塘水丰水期PAHs为中等风险2水平.综上,沟塘水PAHs与周边浅层地下水具有关联性,枯水期沟塘水PAHs总量具有低生态风险,饮用周边浅层地下水的致癌风险高于1x10^-6.     

Wind speed affects prey-catching behaviour in an orb web spider

Wind has previously been shown to influence the location and orientation of spider web sites and also the geometry and material composition of constructed orb webs. We now show that wind also influences components of prey-catching behaviour within the web. A small wind tunnel was used to generate different wind speeds. Araneus diadematus ran more slowly towards entangled Drosophila melanogaster in windy conditions, which took less time to escape the web. This indicates a lower capture probability and a diminished overall predation efficiency for spiders at higher wind speeds. We conclude that spiders’ behaviour of taking down their webs as wind speed increases may therefore not be a response only to possible web damage.     

Does ontogenetic change in orb web asymmetry reflect biogenetic law?

Most orb web spiders face downward on the web hub, and their webs are vertically asymmetrical, that is, the lower part of the web is larger than the upper part and the ratio of the lower part to the whole web area increases as the spider grows. This phenomenon may reflect biogenetic law such that young animals exhibit a general ancestral trait whereas adults exhibit specific and derived traits. An alternative explanation is that vertical asymmetry may arise from the difference in time required by spiders to move up or down the web to capture prey. The present study tested these two hypotheses for Eriophora sagana. Subadults of this species build their webs with reverse asymmetry in that the upper part of the web area is larger than the lower part. In both subadults and adults, the upper proportion decreased with spider weight, and adult spiders built more symmetric webs. These results support the capture time difference hypothesis.     

Tie them up tight: wrapping by Philoponella vicina spiders breaks, compresses and sometimes kills their prey

We show that uloborid spiders, which lack the poison glands typical of nearly all other spiders, employ thousands of wrapping movements with their hind legs and up to hundreds of meters of silk line to make a shroud that applies substantial compressive force to their prey. Shrouds sometimes break the prey’s legs, buckle its compound eyes inward, or kill it outright. The compressive force apparently results from the summation of small tensions on sticky lines as they are applied to the prey package. Behavioral details indicate that wrapping is designed to compact prey; in turn, compaction probably functions to facilitate these spiders’ unusual method of feeding. This is the first demonstration that prey wrapping by spiders compacts and physically damages their prey, rather than simply restraining them.     

洱海流域农业用地与入湖河流水质的关系研究

采用空间分析和统计分析方法,从综合农业用地和各类农业用地面积百分比两个层次研究洱海流域农业用地与入湖河流水质的关系.结果表明,研究区10个小流域入湖河流水质空间差异性显著,流域西部入湖河流总磷污染严重,北部和南部入湖河流(D3除外)主要污染指标为有机物和氮;流域农业用地面积百分比与入湖河流水质的关系密切,综合农业用地面积百分比与雨季入湖河流高锰酸盐指数、NH+4-N、TN、TP呈负相关,相关系数分别为-0.859、-0.565、-0.693、-0.181,与非雨季高锰酸盐指数、NH+4-N呈负相关,相关系数为-0.384、-0.328,与非雨季TN和TP呈正相关,相关系数为0.221、0.146;各类农业用地面积百分比对入湖河流水质表征作用较强,耕地与TN、TP在雨季和非雨季均呈正相关,与两者的相关系数雨季为0.252、0.581,非雨季为0.149、0.511,耕地与高锰酸盐指数、NH+4-N在雨季和非雨季分别呈正相关和负相关,与两者的相关系数雨季为0.388、0.053,非雨季为-0.137、-0.147,林地与耕地的表现则正好相反,与TN、TP、高锰酸盐指数、NH+4-N的相关系数雨季为-0.526、-0.275、-0.469、-0.155,非雨季为-0.012、-0.100、0.282、0.151,鱼塘对TN和TP的指示作用不显著,草地和园地在雨季与耕地的表现类似,非雨季与耕地的表现相反.可见,洱海流域农业面源治理时应重点加强北部和南部在雨季时耕地、草地和园地的管控.     

用模糊数学方法分析长江、淮河、黄河、海滦河流域丰枯遭遇

我国北方干旱、南方湿润,地表径流分布又极不均匀,使得跨流域引水成为解决北方干旱的重大措施,已经设计并实施的南水北调东线工程及规划的中线初期引汉调水方案,都将涉及到被调水流域与受水流域及所通过水系流域的水文情势变化,它不仅影响调水线路的选择及调水量的确定,还直接或间接地影响着调水建筑物过水能力的设计。作为南水北调的基础研究,我们除用常规方法外,并用模糊数学方法进一步分析了长江、淮河、黄河及海滦河四大流域年径流量的丰枯遭遇。     

Silk wrapping of nuptial gifts as visual signal for female attraction in a crepuscular spider

An extensive diversity of nuptial gifts is known in invertebrates, but prey wrapped in silk is a unique type of gift present in few insects and spiders. Females from spider species prefer males offering a gift accepting more and longer matings than when males offered no gift. Silk wrapping of the gift is not essential to obtain a mating, but appears to increase the chance of a mating evidencing a particularly intriguing function of this trait. Consequently, as other secondary sexual traits, silk wrapping may be an important trait under sexual selection, if it is used by females as a signal providing information on male quality. We aimed to understand whether the white color of wrapped gifts is used as visual signal during courtship in the spider Paratrechalea ornata. We studied if a patch of white paint on the males’ chelicerae is attractive to females by exposing females to males: with their chelicerae painted white; without paint; and with the sternum painted white (paint control). Females contacted males with white chelicerae more often and those males obtained higher mating success than other males. Thereafter, we explored whether silk wrapping is a condition-dependent trait and drives female visual attraction. We exposed good and poor condition males, carrying a prey, to the female silk. Males in poor condition added less silk to the prey than males in good condition, indicating that gift wrapping is an indicator of male quality and may be used by females to acquire information of the potential mate.     

钱塘江兰溪段地表水质季节变化特征及源解析

季节变化对水质的影响评价是流域水质管理的重要内容之一.选取钱塘江兰溪段6个监测点位为研究对象,测定了2010和2011年丰水期和枯水期12个水质指标,采用因子分析技术识别关键污染因子及来源的季节变异特征,并基于层次聚类分析和改进的模糊数学方法进行不同季节关键污染因子空间差异性分析和水质综合评价.结果表明,枯水期关键污染因子为来源于城镇集中式生活污水处理厂、纺织业等点源的CODMn、BOD5和NH4+-N,丰水期为来源于农业面源的NH4+-N、TP和工业点源的CODMn;枯水期和丰水期关键污染因子存在空间差异性,无论枯水期还是丰水期,费垅为重污染区域,横山、洋港和将军岩为轻度污染区域;其不同之处在于枯水期女埠和西门码头为中度污染区域,而丰水期则为轻度污染区域;关键污染因子综合水质丰水期优于枯水期,丰水期16.7％的监测点位综合水质归属于V类,而枯水期50％的监测点位综合水质归属于V类.