"Every year Halloween enthusiasts adorn their homes with synthetic cobwebs. But humans aren't the only creatures who decorate their abodes. Spiders bedeck their webs with stabilimentavarious woven patterns that are typically made of a different kind of silk than the rest of the web. In a new study published Wednesday researchers reported that they found that these web decorations may help the spiders detect certain vibrations that can help them find their prey."
"Scientists have also proposed that stabilimenta shield spiders from harsh ultraviolet rays, convey water for the arachnids to drink, or can either visually attract or repel prey. There is just one function that researchers widely agree on: stabilimenta help spiders of some species hide from predators. But there are many different types of [web] geometries, Greco says, and this makes the possibilities of new functions available to spiders. A creature landing or moving on a spider web generates force."
Stabilimenta are woven web decorations, often made of a different silk than the rest of the web. Proposed functions include stabilizing webs, shielding from ultraviolet rays, conveying water, and visually attracting or repelling prey. One widely accepted function is concealment from predators for some species. Different web geometries expand possible functions. Movement on a web produces forces that travel as vibrations through silk, which spiders can perceive. Prior work lacked investigation into how stabilimenta alter those vibrations, prompting examination of Argiope bruennichi, a large yellow-black-white striped spider that spins classic webs with stabilimenta.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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