Background
Spider webs are high-performance devices for prey capture1,2. Further, web-building spiders display a variety of building behaviours, with some spiders constructing their webs daily (Figure 1; e.g., orb-weavers), while others such as sheet-tangle-web spiders (Figure 1) build semi-permanent webs that remain in for the duration of their life span (e.g., Agelenidae family)3,4. Temporal differences in the web-building process and the known electrostatic properties of their webs5,6 allow spiders not only to catch prey but also other type of particles such as air pollutants7. Nevertheless, the capture performance of spider webs depends on properties of the particles captured and environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity), which can affect web integrity8.
Many substances including greenhouse gases, particulate matter, and heavy metals are emitted by human sources in both developed and underdeveloped countries9. In addition, the massive production of plastics has generated large amounts of nano-and micro-plastics, which are now ubiquitous in the environment10. Air pollution by gasses and particles is considered a major driver of chronic respiratory diseases in urban populations11 and microplastics are a growing concern due to their potential implications for human health12. Since these atmospheric pollutants usually travel in particles of different shape and size, spider webs have been suggested as biomonitoring devices to track air pollution at the scale of a day to months7,13. These findings suggest that spider webs can represent an emerging and important tool for low cost and highly accurate air quality in urban and rural areas.
Figure 1. Spider web architectures; (a) Orb web, (b) Tangle web, and (c) Sheet-tangle web. (Image credits: A.L. González.)
How the size, shape, and type of airborne particles as well as environmental conditions (such as wind, temperature, and humidity) affect web performance remains unknown. This project aims to determine the effects of key parameters on web performance of capturing a diversity of particles by using controlled lab and field experiments. This will improve our understanding of the structure and functionality of spider webs as trapping devices and potentially stimulate spider-web-inspired design of air pollution monitoring tools.
Dr. González will work with an IRES student focusing on the structure and function of spider webs, spider behaviour, and air pollution. The IRES student will investigate the use of different architectural types of spider webs to catch district types of particles. This will be performed via lab and field experiments exposing spider webs to particles of different shapes, sizes - from coarse (2.5–10 μm) to fine (<2.5 μm) to ultrafine (<0.1 μm), and concentrations, under different environmental conditions. Students will be able to measure web conductivity and use a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to observe the extent and nature of the deposits of micro-and nanoparticles.
References.
1. Ludwig, L., Barbour, M. A., Guevara, J., Avilés, L. & González, A. L. Caught in the web: Spider web architecture affects prey specialization and spider-prey stoichiometric relationships. Ecol. Evol. 8, 6449–6462 (2018).
2. Straus, S., González, A. L., Matthews, P. & Avilés, L. Economies of scale shape energetics of solitary and group‐living spiders and their webs. J. Anim. Ecol. 91, 255–265 (2022).
3. Blackledge, T. A. et al. Reconstructing web evolution and spider diversification in the molecular era. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 106, 5229–5234 (2009).
4. Prestwich, K. N. The energetics of web-building in spiders. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A Physiol. 57, 321–326 (1977).
5. Vollrath, F. & Edmonds, D. Consequences of electrical conductivity in an orb spider’s capture web. Naturwissenschaften 100, 1163–1169 (2013).
6. Rutkowski, R., Bihałowicz, J. S., Rachwał, M., Rogula-Kozłowska, W. & Rybak, J. Magnetic Susceptibility of Spider Webs and Dust: Preliminary Study in Wrocław, Poland. Minerals 10, 1018 (2020).
7. Rybak, J. Accumulation of Major and Trace Elements in Spider Webs. Water. Air. Soil Pollut. 226, 105 (2015).
8. Blamires, S. J. & Sellers, W. I. Modelling temperature and humidity effects on web performance: implications for predicting orb-web spider (Argiope spp.) foraging under Australian climate change scenarios. Conserv. Physiol. 7, coz083 (2019).
9. Parrish, D. D., Singh, H. B., Molina, L. & Madronich, S. Air quality progress in North American megacities: A review. Atmos. Environ. 45, 7015–7025 (2011).
10. Helmberger, M. S., Tiemann, L. K. & Grieshop, M. J. Towards an ecology of soil microplastics. Funct. Ecol. 34, 550–560 (2020).
11. Lelieveld, J., Evans, J. S., Fnais, M., Giannadaki, D. & Pozzer, A. The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale. Nature 525, 367–371 (2015).
12. Campanale, Massarelli, Savino, Locaputo, & Uricchio. A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health 17, 1212 (2020).
13. Goßmann, I., Süßmuth, R. & Scholz-Böttcher, B. M. Plastic in the air?! - Spider webs as spatial and temporal mirror for microplastics including tire wear particles in urban air. Sci. Total Environ. 832, 155008 (2022).