The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders
This article describes the links between the production of silk by spiders and their behaviour. Silk allows the spider to change its physical environment, which in turn leads to behavioural changes and impacts in the new environment. The feedback between silk and the animal producer can explain the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/529564 |
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| author | Bertrand Krafft Laurie J. Cookson |
| author_facet | Bertrand Krafft Laurie J. Cookson |
| author_sort | Bertrand Krafft |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article describes the links between the production of silk by spiders and their behaviour. Silk allows the spider to change its physical environment, which in turn leads to behavioural changes and impacts in the new environment. The feedback between silk and the animal producer can explain the architecture of spider webs and their adaptation to the environment, by referring only to stereotypic stimulus-response reactions without necessarily resorting to a “representation” by the animal of the structure it builds. Silk can act as a means of protection against environmental stress, a snare for prey, a means of locomotion, and also as support for chemical signals or to act as a vector of vibratory signals. These last two functions have undoubtedly played a key role in spider socialization and explains the phenomena of group cohesion, collective decision making, and the coordination of activities, without resorting to mental “representations” for the overall situation. The bulk of this review describes silk as the chief agent directing the construction of traps, communication, social cohesion, and cooperation amongst its producers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ca78ea53d69845a5bb59d0b24f6473ee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ca78ea53d69845a5bb59d0b24f6473ee2025-02-03T01:26:22ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/529564529564The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of SpidersBertrand Krafft0Laurie J. Cookson1472 Street Lower Coast, Cidex 53, 54710 Ludres, FranceSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, AustraliaThis article describes the links between the production of silk by spiders and their behaviour. Silk allows the spider to change its physical environment, which in turn leads to behavioural changes and impacts in the new environment. The feedback between silk and the animal producer can explain the architecture of spider webs and their adaptation to the environment, by referring only to stereotypic stimulus-response reactions without necessarily resorting to a “representation” by the animal of the structure it builds. Silk can act as a means of protection against environmental stress, a snare for prey, a means of locomotion, and also as support for chemical signals or to act as a vector of vibratory signals. These last two functions have undoubtedly played a key role in spider socialization and explains the phenomena of group cohesion, collective decision making, and the coordination of activities, without resorting to mental “representations” for the overall situation. The bulk of this review describes silk as the chief agent directing the construction of traps, communication, social cohesion, and cooperation amongst its producers.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/529564 |
| spellingShingle | Bertrand Krafft Laurie J. Cookson The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders |
| title_full | The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders |
| title_short | The Role of Silk in the Behaviour and Sociality of Spiders |
| title_sort | role of silk in the behaviour and sociality of spiders |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/529564 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bertrandkrafft theroleofsilkinthebehaviourandsocialityofspiders AT lauriejcookson theroleofsilkinthebehaviourandsocialityofspiders AT bertrandkrafft roleofsilkinthebehaviourandsocialityofspiders AT lauriejcookson roleofsilkinthebehaviourandsocialityofspiders |