Functional Associations Between Cribellum Features, Cribellar Silk Properties, and Web Architecture in the Spider Family Uloboridae

蜘蛛科 Uloboridae 的 Cribellum 特征、Cribellar 丝特性和网络结构之间的功能关联

• 批准号: 8917935
• 负责人: Brent Opell
• 金额: $ 10.65万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1990
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1990-04-01 至 1994-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8917935&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Functional; Associations; Between; Cribellum; Features

Spiders of the Family Uloboridae include the most primitive orb-weaving groups, as well as species that spin reduced triangular aerial webs and irregular webs. The silk that constitute these prey-capture webs are composites of threads produced by an oval plate of spigots (the cribellum) on the spider's abdomen. Variations in the morphology of the cribellum produces changes in the strength and stickiness of the silk. Dr. Brent Opell proposes to study the associations between various kinds of cribellar morphology, silk characteristics, web architecture, and predatory behavior in eight species of uloborid spiders. These species represent both reduced- and normal-web spinners from different evolutionary branches of the family. The proposed research will establish the degree to which form constrains function and behavior in a complex mechanical system. Further, the study may uncover underlying generalities concerning the historical development of the form-function associations (for instance, can a single cribellar change give rise to only certain web and behavior types, or can a single web type accommodate changes in behavior but not silk?). The proposed research addresses questions that are fundamental to all of evolutionary biology. This study will give new insight into the relative importance of current adaptive needs and historical constraint in the evolution of new features. The results of this study will be of interest to a wide range of functional, systematic, and evolutionary biologists.

蜘蛛科蜘蛛包括最原始的圆球编织群，以及纺丝缩小的三角形空中网和不规则网的物种。构成这些捕食网的丝是由蜘蛛腹部的椭圆形龙头(筛网)产生的丝线组成的复合体。筛网形态的变化会导致丝绸的强度和粘性发生变化。布伦特·奥佩尔博士建议研究八种超级巨型蜘蛛的各种筛骨形态、丝质特征、网状结构和捕食行为之间的关系。这些物种代表了来自该家族不同进化分支的简化和正常纤网纺纱。这项拟议的研究将确定形式在多大程度上约束复杂机械系统中的功能和行为。此外，这项研究可能会揭示与形式-功能关联的历史发展有关的潜在共性(例如，单一的脑脑部变化是否只导致某些网络和行为类型，或者单一的网络类型是否可以适应行为的变化，而不是丝绸？)。这项拟议的研究解决了所有进化生物学的基本问题。这项研究将为当前适应需求和历史约束在新特征演变中的相对重要性提供新的见解。这项研究的结果将引起广泛的功能生物学家、系统生物学家和进化生物学家的兴趣。