Weaving a web by a spider. How does a spider weave a web, where does spider silk come from? Formation of building material

Most people don't like spiders. They look rather unpleasant, and prejudices take their toll. At the same time, not only children, but also adults develop a keen interest in how the spider weaves its web. Why he does this is clear to everyone. But how remains a mystery. Let's try to open it up.

You won’t believe it, but not all spiders are capable of creating such elegant lace, but only those that use it to catch small insects that serve as food for them. These representatives of the spider family are called tenet. These also include poisonous individuals, such as karakut and black widow. The same spiders that actively hunt can also weave webs, but they use them purely for other purposes.

In humans, lace woven by spiders often evokes a feeling of envy, they are so skillfully woven. The threads from which they are made are incredibly durable. The web never breaks from its own weight. This can only happen if the length of the thread is more than fifty meters. As you can see, the safety margin of the webs is very high. If you pay attention to their subtlety, then this fact can really be envied. If you take a separate web and try to stretch it, it will break only after it has increased four times in length.

The threads woven by the spider have another exceptional property. They are transparent and practically invisible. Depending on the conditions of use, the spider can weave three types of web: strong, household, sticky. Strong web is used to create the frame of fishing nets. The jumpers in the frame are made of sticky threads. The spider uses a household web to close the entrance to its burrow or entangle cocoons with larvae. Some types of spiders can weave webs that reflect ultraviolet rays. It is used to attract butterflies.

Do all spiders spin patterned webs?

As it turns out, not all. Only araneomorphic arthropods are capable of creating real masterpieces.

Now let's return to the question of why a spider needs a web. It is clear that the answer suggests itself - of course, for hunting. However, these are not all its functions. The web can be used for the following purposes: to camouflage and insulate the entrance to a burrow, for cocoons, for protection. Paradoxically, a skillfully created web protects the spider's hole from rain. Spiders move along the web, and their offspring leave the nest along it.

And yet, what is the basis of the web?

The spider has six glands that are located on its abdomen. With their help, he produces a secretion called liquid silk. When it comes out, it begins to harden. Incredibly thin threads emerge from the glands, which the spider twists together with its legs. The result is a cobweb. This is how he weaves his lace.

If this fishing net, then he stretches it between the branches of the tree. Having secured one side of the thread, he stops spinning and waits for the wind to blow, which should carry the second side of the web to the second branch. After this, the next stage of weaving begins, which is similar to the first. This continues until the frame of the future network is woven. After this, a sticky web is woven into it. The spider eats all unused remains of the web.

Almost all spiders are predators and use their webs to catch insects. Shadow spiders catch flying insects. Those who live in earthen burrows are content with beetles, worms and snails. Water spiders catch small fish, crustaceans, insects. The tarantula spider does not disdain frogs, lizards, birds, and small rodents. However, there are also those who eat their own kind.

The web is a kind of secret produced by the arachnoid glands. Such a secretion, after a short time after release, is able to solidify in the form of strong protein threads. Cobwebs are produced not only by spiders, but also by some other representatives of the arachnid group, including pseudoscorpions and mites, as well as labiopods.

How spiders make webs

A large number of arachnoid glands are located in the abdominal cavity of the spider.. The ducts of such glands open into tiny spinning tubes that have access to the end part of special arachnoid warts. The number of spinning tubes may vary depending on the type of spider. For example, the very common cross spider has five hundred of them.

This is interesting! The arachnoid glands produce a liquid and viscous protein secretion, the peculiarity of which is the ability to almost instantly harden under the influence of air and turn into thin long threads.

The process of spinning a web involves pressing the spider warts onto a substrate. The first, insignificant part of the released secretion hardens and reliably sticks to the substrate, after which the spider pulls out the viscous secretion using its hind legs. In the process of removing the spider from the site of attachment of the web, the protein secretion stretches and quickly hardens. To date, seven are known and fairly well studied. different types arachnoid glands that produce different types threads

Composition and properties of the web

Spider web is a protein compound that also contains glycine, alanine and serine. Interior The filaments formed are represented by rigid protein crystals, the size of which does not exceed several nanometers. The crystals are held together by highly elastic protein bonds.

This is interesting! An unusual property of the web is its internal articulation. When hung on a spider's web, any object can be rotated an unlimited number of times without twisting.

The primary threads are intertwined by the spider and become thicker spider fibers. The strength indicators of the web are close to those of nylon, but are much stronger than the secret silkworm. Depending on the purpose for which the web is intended to be used, the spider can produce not only sticky, but also dry thread, the thickness of which varies significantly.

Functions of the web and its purpose

Webs are used by spiders for a variety of purposes. A shelter woven from a strong and reliable web allows you to create the most favorable microclimatic conditions for arthropods, and also serves as a good shelter both from bad weather and from numerous natural enemies. Many arthropod arachnids are capable of weaving their web around the walls of their burrow or making it into a kind of door into their home.

This is interesting! Some species use webs as transport, and young spiders leave the parental nest on long web threads, which are picked up by the wind and transported over considerable distances.

Most often, spiders use webs to weave sticky trapping networks, which allows them to effectively catch prey and provide food to the arthropod. No less famous are the so-called egg cocoons made from webs, inside which young spiders appear. Some species weave web-like safety threads that protect arthropods from falling while jumping and for moving or catching prey.

Web for reproduction

The breeding season is characterized by the release of arachnoid threads by the female, which make it possible to find the optimal pair for mating. For example, male web-slingers are capable of constructing, next to the nets created by females, miniature mating web laces into which spiders are lured.

Male cross spiders deftly attach their horizontal webs to radially arranged strands of trapping webs made by females. Applying along the web strong blows limbs, males cause vibrations of the network and, thus in an unusual way, invite females to mate.

Web for catching prey

In order to catch their prey, many species of spiders weave special trapping nets, but some species are characterized by the use of peculiar web lassos and threads. Spiders that hide in burrow dwellings place signal threads that stretch from the arthropod’s abdomen to the very entrance to its shelter. When prey falls into the trap, the vibration of the signal thread is instantly transmitted to the spider.

Sticky spiral trapping nets are built according to a slightly different principle. When creating it, the spider begins weaving from the edge and gradually moves towards the central part. In this case, the same gap between all turns is necessarily maintained, resulting in the so-called “Archimedes spiral”. The threads on the auxiliary spiral are specially bitten by the spider.

Web for insurance

Jumping spiders use web threads as insurance when attacking a victim. Spiders attach a safety thread of the web to any object, after which the arthropod jumps on the intended prey. The same thread, attached to the substrate, is used for overnight shelter and protects the arthropod from attacks by all kinds of natural enemies.

This is interesting! South Russian tarantulas, leaving their burrow home, pull behind them a very thin web thread, which allows them to quickly find if necessary way back or the entrance to the shelter.

Web as transport

By autumn, some species of spiders hatch their young. Young spiders that survive the process of growing up try to climb as high as possible, using trees, tall bushes, roofs of houses and other buildings, fences for this purpose. Having waited long enough strong wind, a small spider produces a thin and long web.

The distance of movement directly depends on the length of such a transport web. Having waited for a good tension of the web, the spider bites off its end and takes off very quickly. As a rule, “travelers” are able to fly several kilometers on a web.

Silver spiders use webs as water transport. This spider requires breathing to hunt in bodies of water. atmospheric air. When descending to the bottom, the arthropod is able to capture a portion of air, and on aquatic plants a kind of air bell is constructed from the web, which holds air and allows the spider to hunt its prey.

Most species of spiders spin webs, but not all, such as tarantulas. Many tarantulas burrow into the ground and release a little web, covering the entrance to the “cave” to make it easier to catch flying insects. All spiders, regardless of whether they weave webs or not, have several common features: They have eight legs, all of which feed on insects. Remember that spiders themselves are not insects.

Spiders belong to arachnids, or arachnids - these are animals in the same group as ticks and scorpions. There are about 40 thousand species of spiders.

Why is a web needed?

They can weave very simple products, or they can weave real works of art. Even when the web is ready, the spider does not settle in it forever. The spider itself can hide under roofing shingles or in the corner of a window frame, or under a rock. The purpose of the web is to catch insects. It can take several hours to weave a quality web.

How do spiders weave webs?

For example, a weaver spider uses several types of threads to build its web. To create the base, the frame, so to speak, he secretes dry cobwebs. And in order to catch insects, the weaver places a sticky web on the base. The arachnoid thread (a kind of “silk”) is secreted by special glands on the spider’s abdomen. Different glands secrete Various types silks. Depending on the purpose of weaving a web, a spider can use one or another web material.

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The round spider begins to weave a web, throwing the thread into the wind. The silk flies in the wind and clings to an object, such as a tree branch, which allows the spider to climb up this thread and add another thread to the original one to make it stronger. After the spider has made the general outline of the web, it spins a thread connecting one side of the web to the other. From the center of this connecting thread, the spider begins to weave another thread, which will connect the center of the web with the side thread.

Then the spider will lay a lot of connecting dry threads from the edges of the web along its radii to the center, like spokes in a bicycle wheel. Then these “spokes” are woven with circular threads. The result is a spiral dry web. Then an adhesive thread is applied to the surface of the dry web. Now the spider gets rid of the dry web and eats it. The fishing gear is done, the insect snares are ready.

Interesting fact: Some webs may be more complex, others simpler.

Web design

The design of the web, experts believe, varies depending on the method of hunting. To us, the entire web seems the same and consists of completely standard elements. This misleading impression is created because we do not see the web in ultraviolet light.

Why do spider webs attract insects?

Ultra-violet rays - component sunlight, and it is the part that forms the tan of the skin. But the frequency of ultraviolet waves is too high and is not perceived by our eyes, so for us it is invisible light. However, many insects are able to see ultraviolet rays, especially those that feed on flower nectar and pollen. Many spiders weave webs that attract these insects. How it's done? First, the spider weaves a web of threads that almost do not reflect ultraviolet rays. He then weaves a different type of thread into the web structure, which shines brightly in ultraviolet rays.

Seeing a spider, many of us get scared and try to destroy it. And the cobwebs that hang in the corners and on the trees?
Why and how does a spider weave it?

Let's try to figure this out.
Firstly, in the abdomen of the spider there are arachnoid glands that produce a sticky secretion that hardens in the form of threads in the air, and the abdominal limbs with movable warts form a thread, and then a fiber from the threads. With the help of comb-like claws and bristles on its limbs, the spider quickly slides along the web.

Why does a spider need a web?

Like a net for catching, because they are real predators. Due to the viscous liquid, many living creatures from insects to birds get into their snare.

When a victim falls into a trap, the victim swings the web, and the vibrations transmit a signal to the spider. He approaches the trophy, sprinkles digestive enzyme, wraps it in a cocoon with a web and waits to enjoy it.

For reproduction
Male spiders knit laces next to the female’s web, then regularly knock with their limbs to lure the females for mating. And the female secretes a thread that helps find an individual for mating. He, in turn, attaches his web to the main threads and signals to his chosen one that he is here, and she, without aggression, descends along the attached web to mate.

For movement
There have been cases where spiders were seen on a ship on the high seas.

Some specimens use the web as transport. They climb onto high objects and release a sticky thread that instantly freezes in the air; and the spider flies on a cobweb with a headwind to a new place of residence.
Not very large adult spiders can rise up to 2-3 kilometers in the air and travel this way.

Like insurance
For jumpers, the web thread serves as insurance against predators and so that they can use it to attack the prey.
U South Russian tarantula a barely noticeable cobweb thread always stretches out to find the entrance to its burrow. If suddenly the thread breaks and he loses his house, he begins to look for a new one.
The horse can also sleep at night, thus escaping from enemies.

As a haven for posterity
To lay eggs, the female weaves a cocoon from spider web fiber, which provides security for future offspring.
The plates (main and covering) of the cocoon are woven from silk threads soaked in a frozen substance, so they are very durable, similar to parchment.
There are cocoons that are loose and look like a cotton ball.

For lining
The tarantula covers the walls of its burrows with a net so that the walls do not crumble, and builds an original mobile cover over the entrance hole.
catch prey

How a spider weaves a web, experts have made a video where you can see in detail the actions of the arthropod. The ability to weave openwork fabric, funnel-shaped nets, and cocoons for larvae is transmitted genetically. The young spider repeats all the actions of its mother, without ever seeing how it is done. Spiders make webs of different shapes, sizes, structures, and use them for different purposes.

Composition of a spider's web

It is the secretion of the arachnoid glands. After release, it stretches and hardens in the form of thin threads. Later they are intertwined and made stronger. Used to form a pattern or as a building material.

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

Where the spider’s web comes from is from warts located near the genitals. A crystalline protein is formed inside the thread, 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!

The strength of a spider's web is close to nylon; it retains tension when the threads are stretched or compressed. An object suspended on a long web can be rotated for a long time in one direction, it will not get tangled, and will not even offer resistance when moving. Thanks to this feature, the spider can hang in the air for a long time, attaching its end to a plant, and also over long distances with the help of gusts of wind.

Why does a spider weave a web - main functions

The web is not released 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 web, you will notice that the warts with secretions are located near the genitals. A sexually mature female additionally secretes odorous substances, the smell of which is detected by the male.
• The family weaves trapping nets. The creation of large specimens within a radius reaches 2 m. The density of the canvas is such that birds, small rodents, and amphibians become entangled in it. Insects and their larvae become entangled in the nets.
• Soil, underground specimens build burrows in the ground with numerous labyrinths. They do not construct trapping nets, but protect the entrance with cobwebs and stretch signal threads. By their vibration they determine the approach of a potential victim and instantly go hunting.
• Spiders live solitary lives, gathering in pairs only for mating. Possessions are divided; if boundaries are violated, mortal contractions. To settle and explore a new area, the spider weaves a strong long thread, attaches it to a leaf or twig, goes down, and waits for a gust of wind. By air, an arthropod can fly several hundred kilometers or land under a nearby bush. Active migration begins after the birth of the young generation of spiders.
• After fertilization, the female begins to form a cocoon from the web. Lays from 50 to 1000 eggs inside. It secures it in a secluded place or drags it along with it throughout the entire period of development of the larvae.
• From strong threads, the arachnid builds itself a house, a shelter for wintering. A unique creature - builds a nest underwater. Initially, it weaves a house from threads, fills it with air, lives inside, lets the male in mating season, hatches the cubs there, drags the caught victim inside.
• The predator envelops its prey with a web after injecting the toxin. After this, it leaves the prey and watches it aside until the convulsions stop. If the predator is not hungry, it hangs the caught prey on a web in a secluded place as a reserve.
• Some species of arthropods wrap leaves in cobwebs, stretch out a long thread, and pull it to distract the attention of predators from their shelter. They make a puppet, which is then skillfully controlled. Another craftsman uses improvised materials to weave a raft, float on the surface of the water, and catch fry, larvae, and crustaceans.

The spider leaves its catching nets when the threads are significantly damaged by insects. Starts forming a new canvas after 12 captured victims.

On a note!

The arthropod often eats its invention. This phenomenon is explained by the replenishment of the body with protein and the presence of moisture, which accumulates on the canvas due to dew.

How a spider weaves a web

Many arachnids lead night image life, are engaged in “weaving” in the dark. How long it takes a spider to weave a web depends on the type of arthropod. On average, the orb weaver takes about 1 hour to form strong trapping nets. If reconstruction is required, the process takes a few minutes.

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

Interesting!

The web that lives in tropical forests Brazil, so strong that local fishermen use it to catch fish. The threads are used to weave a thin but very durable fabric. Kraig Biocraft makes body armor from natural spider materials.

How a spider weaves a web between trees can be seen in the garden, in conditions wildlife. An openwork fabric or funnel sparkles in the sun and attracts insects. But the process itself, like a spider stretching a web between two trees, deserves admiration. Initially, the predator descends, waits for a gust of wind, moves through the air to a nearby tree, and secures the other end there. Then the matter remains small.

During flight, the spider controls its speed by adjusting the length of the thread. When lengthening it moves slower, when shortening it moves faster. To land, you need to throw a web onto a plant or tree.