Giant wood spider <i>Nephila pilipes</i> alters silk protein in response to prey variation

Tso, I‐Min; Wu, Hsuan‐Chen; Hwang, In-Ru

doi:10.1242/jeb.01437

Cited by 82 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Empirical studies (Herberstein and Heiling, 1998;Blackledge and Zevenbergen, 2006;Blamires et al, 2011;Sensenig et al, 2012) and computer simulations (Lin et al, 1995;Cranford et al, 2012;Tarakanova and Buehler, 2012) demonstrate that many aspects of web geometry are important predictors of prey-capture performance in orb webs. Indeed, the combined influence of geometry and silk properties on prey-capture performance of spider webs (Lin et al, 1995;Sensenig et al, 2012;Cranford et al, 2012) explains why spiders that switch diets vary both the geometry of their webs and the properties of their silks (Tso et al, 2005;Tso et al, 2007;Blamires et al, 2011;Blamires and Tso, 2013). These variations include changes to mesh height, number of radials and spiral length, which affect the number, size, shape, mass and kinetic energy of the prey that can be effectively caught (Blackledge and Zevenbergen, 2006;Sensenig et al, 2010;Sensenig et al, 2012;Blamires et al, 2011;Cranford et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind induces variations in spider web geometry and sticky spiral droplet volume

Blamires

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYTrap building by animals is rare because it comes at a substantial cost. Using materials with properties that vary across environments maintains trap functionality. The sticky spiral silks of spider orb webs are used to catch flying prey. Web geometry, accompanied by compensatory changes in silk properties, may change across environments to sustain web functionality. We exposed the spider Cyclosa mulmeinensis to wind to test whether wind-induced changes in web geometry are accompanied by changes in aggregate silk droplet morphology, axial thread width or spiral stickiness. We compared: (i) web catching area, (ii) length of total silks, (iii) mesh height, (iv) number of radii, (v) aggregate droplet morphology and (vi) spiral thread stickiness, between webs made by spiders exposed to wind and those made by spiders not exposed to wind. We interpreted co-variation in droplet morphology or spiral stickiness with web capture area, mesh height or spiral length as the silk properties functionally compensating for changes in web geometry to reduce wind drag. Wind-exposed C. mulmeinensis built webs with smaller capture areas, shorter capture spiral lengths and more widely spaced capture spirals, resulting in the expenditure of less silk. Individuals that were exposed to wind also deposited larger droplets of sticky silk but the stickiness of the spiral threads remained unchanged. The larger droplets may be a product of a greater investment in water, or low molecular weight compounds facilitating atmospheric water uptake. Either way, droplet dehydration in wind is likely to be minimized.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind induces variations in spider web geometry and sticky spiral droplet volume

Blamires

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Firstly, specific architectural parameters respond differently to stimuli. For example, the capture area, web shape, symmetry, number of capture threads, mesh size (the distance between capture threads), the number of radial threads, the size and shape of decorations and silk properties may respond differently to various biotic and abiotic stimuli (Schneider and Vollrath, 1998;Heiling and Herberstein, 2000;Tso et al, 2005;Tso et al, 2007;Mayntz et al, 2009). Secondly, the nature of the stimuli inducing plasticity is multitudinous with prey type, prey abundance, prey nutrients, temperature, water availability, habitat complexity, predation pressure and web vibrations implicit in inducing plastic responses in orb spider webs (Vollrath et al, 1997;Herberstein et al, 2000a;Tso et al, 2005;Tso et al, 2007;Blamires et al, 2009;Nakata, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticity in extended phenotypes: orb web architectural responses to variations in prey parameters

Blamires

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYA spider orb web is an extended phenotype; it modifies and interacts with the environment, influencing spider physiology. Orb webs are plastic, responding to variations in prey parameters. Studies attempting to understand how nutrients influence spider orb-web plasticity have been hampered by the inability to decouple prey nutrients from other, highly correlated, prey factors and the intrinsic link between prey protein and prey energy concentration. I analyzed the nutrient concentrations of cockroaches, and adult and juvenile crickets to devise experiments that controlled prey protein concentration while varying prey size, ingested mass, energy concentration and feeding frequency of the orb web spider Argiope keyserlingi. I found that A. keyserlingi alters overall architecture according to feeding frequency. Decoration length was inversely related to ingested prey mass and/or energy density in one experiment but directly related to ingested prey mass in another. These contradictory results suggest that factors not examined in this study have a confounding influence on decoration plasticity. As decorations attract prey as well as predators decreasing decoration investment may, in some instances, be attributable to benefits no longer outweighing the risks. Web area was altered according to feeding frequency, and mesh size altered according to feeding frequency and prey length. The number of radii in orb webs was unaffected by prey parameters. A finite amount of silk can be invested in the orb web, so spiders tradeoff smaller mesh size with larger web capture area, explaining why feeding frequency influenced both web area and mesh size. Mesh size is additionally responsive to prey size via sensory cues, with spiders constructing webs suitable for catching the most common or most profitable prey.

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“…Craig et al (2000) subsequently confi rmed the infl uence of diet on silk production by spiders [see Tso et al (2005) and Blamires et al (2012Blamires et al ( , 2015 for further information]. Comparable data are not available for Lepidoptera that are the most prolifi c silk-spinning arthropods next to spiders.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silk recycling in larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Shaik¹,

Mishra²,

Sehnal³

2017

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Galleria mellonella larvae spin protective tubes, which they use until they fi nish feeding, when they spin cocoons. A feeding choice experiment showed that some of the silk produced by feeding larvae was consumed in addition to the standard diet (STD). To determine the effect of feeding on silk, last instar larvae were fed for 24 h on foods based on STD but modifi ed by replacing the dry milk component (10% of the diet) with equal amounts of different kinds of silk. While each control larva consumed 21 ± 0.5 mg of the STD and produced 4.5 ± 0.1 mg of silk, larvae that ate the food that contained larval silk consumed 10 ± 0.4 mg of food and produced 6.1 ± 0.1 mg silk; the percentage ratio of silk produced to diet consumed was 21% and 61%, respectively. A more pronounced reduction in food consumption occurred when larvae were supplied with Galleria "cocoon" silk or the sericin fraction of such silk, and only 3.8 mg/larva was ingested of the diet containing Bombyx mori cocoon silk or its sericin fraction. Silk production expressed in terms of percentage of diet consumed was always higher than that recorded for larvae fed STD. We conclude that G. mellonella larvae recycle part of the silk that they produce during feeding. Presence of silk in the diet reduces food intake but increases the ratio of silk production to diet consumption. Sericin fraction of the cocoon silk seems to deter feeding.Abbrevations. BCF -Bombyx cocoon fi broin, BCS -Bombyx cocoon silk, BPS -Bombyx pad silk, BS -Bombyx sericin, CBS -Commercial Bombyx sericin, GCF -Galleria cocoon fi broin, GCS -Galleria cocoon silk, GLS -Galleria larval silk, GSGalleria sericin, STD -Standard diet.

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Giant wood spider Nephila pilipes alters silk protein in response to prey variation

Cited by 82 publications

References 52 publications

Wind induces variations in spider web geometry and sticky spiral droplet volume

Wind induces variations in spider web geometry and sticky spiral droplet volume

Plasticity in extended phenotypes: orb web architectural responses to variations in prey parameters

Silk recycling in larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

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