A recent study by University of Nebraska–Lincoln biologists Brandi Pessman and Eileen Hebets was featured in The New York Times’ Trilobites column on March 22. (The article requires a subscription.)
The researchers published one of the first studies demonstrating that one type of animal, when faced with human-generated noise, can alter how it receives sound-based information. In a recent Current Biology publication, the researchers demonstrated that the webs of funnel-weaving spiders transmit vibrations differently in response to increased local environmental noise. This flexibility in web transmission properties suggests that the spiders may intentionally spin their webs differently to manage surrounding noise and receive crucial sensory information.
In a particularly novel finding, the study also shows that individual webs transmit vibrations differently depending on whether the web’s architect was collected from an urban or rural environment. This suggests that a spider’s past exposure to environmental noise — and possibly its genetic makeup — shapes its web-building flexibility.
“These spiders have come up with an incredible solution — they are able to use their webs as both a hearing aid and hearing plug,” Hebets, George Holmes Professor of biological sciences, told the Times.
Spiders don’t have ears like humans, the Times reported, so they don’t necessarily hear things in the traditional way. But sound produces vibrations that travel through the ground and into their webs via silk strands.
“They really rely on those accurate vibrations to determine where the prey is, what the prey is and whether to attack,” said Pessman, a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Biological Sciences and the study’s lead author.
The research highlights the sophistication of spiders, Hebets said, as they have come up with a solution for finding food and mates despite environmental challenges.
“While animal sensory systems can, and do, certainly adapt over evolutionary time to changing environmental conditions, this takes time,” she said. “Behavioral changes, however, can be immediate.”
Other articles on the research have appeared on the KHGI website and Earth.com.
Nebraska Headliners highlights Husker faculty and staff featured in major news outlets. If you see a possible Nebraska Headliner, submit the story or URL via email to nebraskatoday@unl.edu.
