Lower parasitism and predation in urban habitats may contribute to the invasion success of brown widow spiders. Dr. Monica Mowery and colleagues at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev compared egg sac parasitism in the urban ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 25, 2023
0
1
Spiders that don't weave good silk don't get to eat. The silk spiders produce to create their webs is key to their survival—but spiders live in many different places that require webs fine-tuned for local success. Scientists ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 18, 2023
0
1897
Spider courtship boasts some of the most charismatic and strategic rituals in the animal kingdom: bondage worthy of the bedroom, percussive performances worthy of the drumline, silent sounds worthy of tradecraft. Still, arachnologists ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 7, 2023
0
2
When it comes to spider love, female widow spiders hold the key to attracting mates, potentially adjusting their web's attractiveness to lure males, according to new research.
Plants & Animals
Nov 8, 2022
1
130
Through millions of years of evolution, nature has produced biological systems with exceptional properties and functionalities. Many organisms have adapted to their particular environment by creating extraordinarily efficient ...
Biotechnology
Nov 7, 2022
0
9
Flies, mosquitoes, dust and even microplastics—spider webs capture whatever travels through the air. Researchers at the university have now for the first time tested if they can get an overview of plastic particles in the ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 2, 2022
0
74
Everyone knows that humans and most other vertebrate species hear using eardrums that turn soundwave pressure into signals for our brains. But what about smaller animals like insects and arthropods? Can they detect sounds? ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 29, 2022
0
114
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has found that a species of spider uses its web to expand its hearing capabilities. They have posted their findings on the bioRxiv preprint server.
Have you recently spotted a spider peeking out from a brown, curled-up leaf in your garden?
Plants & Animals
Jan 7, 2022
0
25
A trio of researchers with Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, has found that male nursery web spiders may add chemicals to their silk to make their nuptial gifts more attractive to prospective female mates. In their ...
