We have a new paper out in Journal of Insect Behaviour based on the undergraduate research project of Nicholas Tew, who is first author on the paper. In the study, we compared web characteristics of orb webs built by the tetragnathid spider Metelllina mengei in a forest (Wytham Woods, a site of special scientific interest west of Oxford) with the aim of comparing the effect of wind. Surprisingly we found no difference between wind-exposed webs at the forest edge and sheltered webs in the forest interior suggesting that M. mengei does not show behavioural plasticity in response to wind.
Tew, N. and Hesselberg, T. (2017). The effect of wind exposure on the web characteristics of a tetragnathid orb spider. Journal of Insect Behavior 30, 273-286. doi:10.1007/s10905-017-9618-0.
Abstract:
Studies on spiders in their natural habitats are necessary for determining the full range of plasticity in their web-building behaviour. Plasticity in web design is hypothesised to be important for spiders building in habitats where environmental conditions cause considerable web damage. Here we compared web characteristics of the orb spider Metellina mengei (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) in two different forest habitats differing in their wind exposure. We found a notable lack of differences in web geometry, orientation and inclination between webs built along an exposed forest edge and those built inside the forest, despite marked differences in wind speed. This suggests that M. mengei did not exhibit web-building plasticity in response to wind in the field, contrasting with the findings of laboratory studies on other species of orb spiders. Instead, differences in prey capture and wind damage trade-offs between habitats may provide an explanation for our results, indicating that different species employ different strategies to cope with environmental constraints.
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