How does a spider weave a web, where does the spider silk come from? Why do spiders weave a web? Description, photos and video From which a spider weaves a web.

What nodes does a spider use when weaving a web? Or does he not use nodes at all?

When weaving a web, the spider does not use knots at all. He does not need them: the spider glues the threads of the web of prey together between themselves with a special type of web - the connecting one.

An adhesive droplet consists of a glycoprotein core and an aqueous membrane of water and peptides. The stickiness of the droplet depends on the humidity of the air: if it is very dry, part of the water can evaporate, and the droplet will lose its properties. This is one of the reasons why there is more spider diversity in humid climates. Each type of spider is adapted to a specific humidity range. This is achieved by varying the composition of the adhesive droplets from species to species.

In addition to providing stickiness, droplets perform other functions. For example, the Australian argiope spider ( Argiope keyserlingi) they can serve as a bait for flies - its victims. Sticky droplets of argiopes contain putrescine, a substance released during the decomposition of animal corpses. Therefore, carrion flies fly to its smell and fall into a trap (see Spider Web-argiope attracts insects by smell, “Elements”, July 17, 2017).

So, we figured out the properties of the spider thread. Now let's see how the web itself is arranged. The basis of the web is carrier threads - usually three or four of them - which the spider sticks at both ends to a substrate (for example, a tree branch or a grass stem) using connecting discs. Sometimes they are supported by additional anchor threads (see the figure below). Radial, converging to the center of the web - the “hub” are attached to the supporting threads.

On a radial thread a spider applies a hunting spiral. Often, the hunting spiral does not reach the “hub” a bit, leaving a free zone, the meaning of which is not yet clear. At the intersection of different threads are the above-mentioned connecting discs supporting the design.

Once in the web, insects stick most often to the hunting spiral. But, of course, not tightly: actively jerking, they can come unstuck and fly away - so the spider must be in a hurry. Upon learning of the catch, he immediately runs to the victim, bites it and then, immobilized, entangles it with its web. The secret of the glands opening in its jaw-chelicera contains poison, which paralyzes the prey. In addition, the spider injects digestive enzymes into the victim, which break down its insides and turn them into a thick broth. This partially digested spider soup then sucks. And in order to notice the prey in time, the networks of many species of spiders have special signal threads that lead directly to the spider sitting openly in the center of the web or in a secluded shelter on the periphery. When a trapped insect begins to beat, it vibrates the web - including signal threads. According to their vibration, the spider determines that the prey is caught.

So different web threads perform different functions. Spiders can produce up to seven types of spider webs, which vary in composition and properties and are secreted by different spider glands. Web-bearing threads are the strongest. But the threads of the hunting spiral are the most sticky, because they have the most concentration of adhesive droplets. Therefore, for example, to a person walking through the woods, the threads of precisely a hunting spiral cling. In addition, there is a special type of thread for wrapping the victim, thread for forming a soft inner layer of cocoon for eggs and thread for a durable outer layer of cocoon. And also a special connecting web.

But how does the spider itself not stick to its web? During weaving, it touches adhesive adhesive hunting threads only by the very tips of the legs, covered with numerous hairs, which reduces the area of \u200b\u200bcontact with adhesive drops. In addition, the legs of the spider are lubricated with a special oily substance that prevents adhesion. Well, when a spider walks on its web, it moves along less sticky radial threads.

Replied: Alexey Opaev
Drawing Ekaterina Volovich

As a spider weaves a web, experts shot a video where you can see in detail the actions of an arthropod. The ability to weave an openwork cloth, funnel-shaped networks, cocoons for larvae is transmitted genetically. The young spider repeats all the actions of his mother, never seeing how this is done. Spiders make the web different in shape, size, structure, used for different purposes.

Spider Web Composition

It is the secret of the spider glands. After isolation, it stretches and hardens in the form of thin filaments. In the future, they are intertwined, made stronger. Used to form a pattern or as a building material.

What a spider's web consists of - a protein enriched in alanine, serine, glycine. Inside the spider gland, the substance is in liquid form. In the process of passing through the spinning tubes hardens, turns into a thread.

Where does the spider's web come from - from the warts located near the genitals. A crystalline protein is formed inside the filament, increasing the strength and flexibility of the fibers. Depending on the purpose for which the web will be used, the thickness and strength change.

Interesting!
By strength, the spider's web is close to nylon, it retains tension during tension, compression of the threads. Suspended on a long web, an object can be rotated for a long time in one direction, it will not get tangled, it will not even provide resistance when moving. Due to this feature, the spider can hang in the air for a long time, attaching the end to the plant, as well as over long distances using gusts of wind.

Why does a spider weave a web - the main functions

The web stands out not arbitrarily, but when the need arises. Different people use threads for different purposes, but absolutely all females use a special secret to attract males.

If you look carefully at where the female releases the cobwebs, you can see that the warts with a secret are located near the genitals. A sexually mature female additionally releases odorous substances, the smell of which is captured by the male.
The family weaves hunting nets. The creation of large specimens within a radius reaches 2 m. The density of the canvas is such that a bird, small rodent, and amphibians get tangled in it. Insects and their larvae become entangled in the nets.
Soil, underground specimens build holes in the ground with numerous labyrinths. Stalking nets do not build, but protect the entrance with a cobweb, pull signal strands. Their vibration determines the approach of a potential victim, instantly go hunting.
Spiders live apart, gather in pairs only for mating. The possessions are divided; in case of violation of borders, fatal fights take place. For resettlement, the development of a new area, the spider weaves a strong long thread, attaches it to a leaf, twig, goes down, waiting for a gust of wind. Arthropods can fly several hundred kilometers through the air or land under a nearby bush. Active migration begins after the birth of a young generation of spiders.
After fertilization, the female begins to form a cocoon from the web. Lays inward from 50 to 1000 pieces of eggs. Fixes in a secluded place or drags along the entire period of development of the larvae.
The arachnid builds a house of strong threads for itself, a refuge for wintering. A unique creature - builds a nest under water. Initially weaves a house of threads, fills it with air, lives inside, lets the male in the mating season, hatches the cubs there, drags the caught victim inside.
A cobweb predator wraps its prey after injecting a toxin. After that he leaves the prey, watches it aside, until the convulsions stop. If the predator is not hungry, hangs the caught prey on the web in a secluded place in reserve.
Some varieties of arthropods spiderwebs wrap leaves, stretch a long thread, pull it to distract the attention of predators from their shelter. They make a puppet, which they then skillfully control. One more skilled craftsman weaves a raft out of improvised means, swims on the surface of the water, catch fry, larvae, and crustaceans.

The spider leaves hunting nets with significant damage to the threads by insects. Starts forming a new canvas after 12 victims caught.

On a note!
Arthropod often eats its invention. This phenomenon is explained by the replenishment of the body with protein, the presence of moisture, which accumulates on the canvas due to dew.

How does a spider weave a web

Many arachnids are nocturnal, engaged in "weaving" in the dark. How much a spider weaves a web depends on the variety of arthropod. On average, it takes about 1 hour for a spinner to form strong hunting nets. If reconstruction is required, the process takes several minutes.

How quickly a spider weaves a web can be seen in the video below. It does this arthropod automatically, repeating the same pattern each time. The most attractive are the openwork patterns of the spiderworms. Initially, a solid web is taken, stretched in the shape of a triangle, then cells of different sizes are formed.

Interesting!
The web that lives in the rainforests of Brazil is so durable that it is used by local fishermen to catch fish. A thin but very durable web is woven from threads. Kraig Biocraft manufactures bulletproof vests from natural spiders.

How a spider weaves a web between the trees can be seen in the garden, in the wild. Openwork cloth or funnel sparkles in the sun, attracts insects. But the process itself, like a spider pulls a web between two trees, deserves admiration. Initially, a predator descends, waits for a gust of wind, moves through the air to a neighboring tree, secures the second end there. Then the matter remains small.

During the flight, the spider controls the speed by adjusting the length of the thread. When elongated, it moves slower, while when contracting, it moves faster. To land, you need to throw a web on a plant, a tree.

All spiders, regardless of species, weave a web. It is a network into which small insects fall. They serve as food for animals. The threads of which the network is made are sticky, but spiders do not stick to it.

The fact is that the web has its own structure. Some threads serve as a trap, while others are designed to maintain the fabric. They have less adhesive.

A spider moves along a woven web, barely touching its limbs. The ends of the hairs are smeared with gel, which does not allow the individual to get into their own networks. Why does a tarantula spider weave a web? What are threads made of?

Tarantula spiders also weave a web, but not in order to set a trap for catching insects. Animals hunt, wait for their prey in the shelter. They scatter threads around their shelter. They are thin, invisible to the human eye.

Males during the breeding season weave sperm-web.

During the construction of the tissue from the genital glands, which are located on the abdomen of the spider, seminal fluid is released. Subsequently, individuals collect liquid in the bulbs that are located at the ends of the pedipalps; bulbs function like a pump.

Some species of spiders weave a web to collect water. Dew forms on the threads, which are used by both adults and young animals as a drink. This is especially true in the hot season. The fabric will not hold much water, but dew drops settle on it.

The thickness of the cobweb is 10 microns. In tarantulas, it is more durable than silkworms. A sheet with an area of \u200b\u200b1 mm2 withstands a tensile strength of 260 kg.

At the end of the 17th century. in France, developments were underway to create web fabrics that were supposed to replace silk. Gloves and stockings were sewn. Products were presented at the Royal Court.

The cobweb is the secret that is secreted by the spider glands. They are located in the abdomen, connected by thin tubules to the outlet openings. Holes are located in spider web warts. They are located at the end of the abdomen. The tarantula is a paired organ.

There are several arachnoid glands in arthropod animals. Each has its own function, allocates a secret for creating a certain section of the web and for the fabric, which performs a specific function; housing and cocoon construction, alarm, territory cleaning.

The following glands are noted in spiders:

lobate - responsible for creating a soft layer of cocoon; the threads are also used to wrap the victim so that it is easier to keep the chelicera;
tube-shaped - the secret is allocated for the manufacture of the upper layer of the cocoon; it is more durable and tough;
coronal - from the threads an external contour of the web is built and its fastening to any object: tree bark, branches, to the ground; tarantulas use strands of this nature to strengthen their burrows, to create “air” tunnels on a tree;
the tree gland secretes a secret from which the threads of the inner contour of the web are derived; there are droplets of glue on the threads; they are distributed over the entire length clearly at a certain distance; spiders do not use knots for weaving;
the large ampulliform gland secretes the secret for the manufacture of the main "body" of the canvas; the threads lie exactly on the adhesive droplets;
there is still a small ampulliform gland, but it is poorly developed in tarantulas; spiders make an additional spiral from the threads for the hunting zone, which is unusual for tarantulas.

Threads are made up of protein, fibroin, which is a chain of amino acids. The main part is occupied by alanine and glycine. Glutamic acid, leucine, tyrosine, and serine are found in small amounts in a cobweb secretion. 13% falls on the proteid.

This is a complex protein. It consists of amino acids and of compounds that belong to the non-amino acid nature of origin.

The composition of the secret of the female and male tarantula varies. During the breeding season, males find spiders on their web. The secret is derived from arachnoid warts with great speed.

It is as if shot by a spider. It is liquid, but in contact with air, it crystallizes quickly, turning into a strong and elastic thread.

Each tarantula spider weaves its own web design. The web is distinguished by an individual pattern, the way the threads are arranged, and fastened.

According to the canvas, arachnologists can only determine the sex and type of arthropod animal. For weaving, individuals use the front and hind limbs. Arachnologists continue to study the insect world, and at the beginning of 2000, they established that arthropod microbes also exist on the extremities of arthropod animals. Which are actively used to create the canvas.

The web of arthropod animals has a complex structure. Web weaving is an unconditioned spider reflex. Tarantulas do not teach their offspring to create networks. The ability is laid by nature.

Larvae can already lead an independent lifestyle. They dig small holes in which they strengthen the soil with thin threads or equip a dwelling under the bark of a tree, densely braiding the nearby area.

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Which spider does not weave cobwebs?

Not all so-called gossips weave real nets. Small spider Dipoena tristis, as on a rope, hangs on its cobweb thread above the ground in places where ants are common, and thus watches them. Another interesting example is the tropical African spiders of the genus Cladomelea. Starting to catch prey, the spider releases a thread up to 2 cm long with a drop of adhesive secretion at the end. Then, with the help of the third pair of legs, he begins to quickly swing this thread, twirling it around him. If an insect touches this droplet, it adheres to it. Then the spider pulls the victim to itself and sucks it. This method of extraction is possible, of course, only in places of accumulation of insects. Cladomelea's closest cousin, American tropical spiders of the genus Glyptocranium, also hunt with adhesive threadbut hold her in the elongated front leg. Cautiously approaching the insect, these spiders suddenly throw their "lassos" and pull the sticky prey to themselves. Fungi spiders of the genus Miagrammopes from South Africa between the branches they stretch a single horizontal thread from 90 cm to 3.6 m long. Its middle part is additionally covered with cribellar threads. A spider sits at one end of the thread without releasing it. When an insect touches a thread, it instantly weakens it, which contributes to entanglement of prey.

The wolf spider does not weave a web, does not have a permanent habitat.

The female of such a spider is easy to notice by the white or grayish cocoon from the web, which she attaches with a web to her abdomen and carries around with her. If the cocoon is lost, the spider begins to rush about in this place, not calming down, until it finds it. Oh, this picture must be seen - how gently she will clutch her paws with her lost and newfound treasure. After a few seconds, making sure that this is exactly what you need - she will again attach the cocoon to the abdomen with a web and continue her journey. http://www.rosfoto.ru/shop/photo/28109/

Brazilian wandering spider

fast and very active. Everything would be fine, but it is also very poisonous. He is even ranked among the ten most dangerous spiders on Earth. This spider deservedly got its talking name: he does not weave cobwebs like most spiders, because he does not need it. A wandering spider never lives in one place, but always roams. It is unpleasant for a person that sometimes he comes into houses. In South America, these spiders are often found in clothes or in boxes with things and food.

Nowadays, thanks to the achievements of science and technology, you can see and understand how a spider weaves a web. Arthropods will inherit these abilities from their parents at the genetic level. In other words, all actions are programmed, since no one teaches such skills to young spiders. Different types of spiders weave a web of different shapes, different sizes and different structures, depending on the destination.

Spiders have special glands that produce a special secret. After this substance begins to appear from the glands, the spider stretches it, resulting in thin and durable strings. As a result of curly weaves, a rather strong design is obtained. This secret is intended for various, including construction, purposes.

The basis of such a building material is protein, in combination with alanine, serine and glycine. Being inside the spider gland, the substance is in liquid form. After the substance is used in the form of threads, it hardens in air.

The spider glands, in the form of warts, are located next to the genitals. The thread consists of crystalline protein, which at times increases the strength and flexibility of dried threads. Depending on the purpose of the web, its thickness and strength may vary markedly.

Interesting fact! The strength of the web is the same as if it were tied from nylon. At the same time, it retains its characteristics both in compression and in tension. If you hang an object on a long web and begin to rotate it in one direction, then the web will not get confused and will not show any resistance to rotation. Thanks to these unique properties of the web, the spider can hang on the web for a long time. The web is not only strong, it is quite light, so spiders often travel long distances with the help of the web under the influence of wind.

A spider does not just weave a web where it wants to and when it wants to. He weaves it when necessary and in those places where it can be useful to him. Each spider web has its own purpose. Females weave a web in order to attract males. Therefore:

The spider glands are located next to the genitals, which allows the female at the same time to highlight a special secret that attracts males.
Stalking nets weave spiders. Such networks can have a diameter of 2 m, or even more. The strength of the threads is such that a bird, not a large rodent or an amphibian, can become entangled in the web. Most spiders catch insects, as well as their larvae.
Spiders living in the earth dig holes with many moves. They do not weave hunting nets, but they close the entrance to the web and weave signal threads. These threads give a signal if the victim is near the burrow. In this case, the spider immediately reacts and appears at the entrance to its hole.
Spiders lead a separate way of life and form pairs only during the breeding season. Each spider protects its territory and does not allow strangers to itself. In the case of the development of new territories, the spider weaves a long thread, attaching it to any base and waiting for a good gust of wind. Once in the air, under the influence of wind, a spider can overcome dozens, if not hundreds of kilometers. Such migrations become widespread when young spiders appear.
After mating, the female from the web makes a special cocoon and lays up to 1000 pieces in it. eggs. Some species attach the cocoon in any place, and some species drag it after themselves, until spiders appear in the light.
Some species of spiders, such as a water spider, build a nest from spider webs for themselves under water. This house is filled with air, and the female lives in it. During the mating season, she launches a spider, after which offspring are born that live for some time in this nest. Here she drags a caught victim.
After the insect enters the web, the spider wraps it in a web, injecting a toxin before it. After that, he moves away from his victim and watches her. Starts a meal after complete death. If the spider is not hungry, then it leaves the next victim until it is hungry.
There are varieties that cover the leaves with cobwebs, after which they stretch a long web. When necessary, the spider pulls on the web, thus reviving the leaf. As a result, some predators respond to this leaflet, but not to the real spider nest.

There are also skilled spiders who build a raft out of improvised tools and cobwebs and swim on it, hunting fish fry, larvae, crustaceans, etc.

If the hunting web is badly damaged, then the spider can leave it and begin to form it, somewhere near a new web.

An important point! Some arthropods eat their hunting nets. Experts explain such actions of spiders by the fact that their body requires replenishment with protein. In addition, moisture, which is necessary for the spider, always accumulates on the web.

As a rule, many species of spiders prefer to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, so they weave a web mainly at night. On average, a spider spends about an hour on this procedure. If you want to repair a trap for insects, then it takes even less time.

Below you can see in the video how the spider weaves a web and how much time he spends on it. If the web is torn down, then the next morning the exact same web will appear in the same place. The most beautiful web is obtained from orbiting. Using strong threads, the spider forms a triangle, after which it fills it with cells of a certain size.

Interesting to know! In the tropical rainforests of Brazil, a tarantula spider lives, which weaves such a strong web that local fishermen use it as nets for catching fish. From the threads of spiders it is possible to weave not only a thin, but also a fairly durable canvas. Some companies make bulletproof vests from the substance of spiders.

In the garden you can see how a spider weaves a web, placing it on 2 trees. It can be an openwork fishing net or a funnel that glistens in the sun, attracting insects. Of course, for many, this process is a mystery. It’s even hard to imagine how a spider could pull a web between two trees. As a rule, a spider flies on a web from one tree to another under the influence of wind. Having fixed the second end, the simplest thing remains for him - to fill the space with cells.

At the same time, being in a flight state, the spider controls the distance to the neighboring tree, while regulating the length of the web. Sometimes, in order to cling to a branch, he simply shoots a web in the right place.