Decipher the secret of spider web

A new study has found that spiders have cleverly woven decorative white silk threads that cross as a trick to protect their network from being damaged.

The team was discovered by Dr. Andre Walter and Professor Mark Elgar from the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne , spiders deal with serious network damage by creating larger cross-strands. However, if spider webs are only slightly damaged, they do not hesitate to weave this additional decoration.

ScienceDaily page quoted Professor Mark Elgar as saying that the damaged spider web is a loss to spiders because recreating a new network requires a lot of nutrition. " So they cleverly found a way to weave cross-stitched silk to minimize unwanted damage. It's like we use sticky tape with glass windows to prevent people from going through it. , "said Mr. Elgar.

Spiders weave more white silk threads that cross when their networks are badly damaged.
Photo: ScienceDaily

Researchers collected a group of spiders and allowed them to weave networks in the laboratory. Some complete spider webs are badly damaged while others are slightly damaged. Scientists observed the spider's reaction afterwards.

"The reality is that the spiders increase the silk weaving activity to deal with serious damage, but do not increase this activity with slight damage. This shows that the creation of the thread is cross-threaded. This is a way to make spider webs more visible to animals that can accidentally pass or fly over them, "said Professor Elgar.

The addition of decorative silk to spider webs was first recorded more than a century ago. However, why the spiders have such actions has been the subject of debate for decades. " Our research helps clarify this mystery, " said Professor Elgar.