Collaborative Research: Araneid Phylogeny and Evolution of Spider Silk Phenotypes.

公共抽象蜘蛛生产不同类型的丝绸，这些丝绸具有显著的物理特性。一些蜘蛛丝甚至可以比高性能人造材料在断裂前吸收更多的能量。球网是一个杰出的例子，说明了两种类型的丝纤维--坚硬的支撑线和弹性的捕获螺旋--的组合如何发挥作用，吸收飞行昆虫猎物的高能冲击。然而，不同种类的蜘蛛结成的球网可能具有截然不同的形状。这个项目试图了解蜘蛛丝的机械功能如何随着不同种类蜘蛛结网方式的变化而演变。这项研究将包括三个步骤。1)通过使用新的DNA数据和扩展的形态数据，将产生第一个关于编织圆球蜘蛛之间进化关系的可靠假说。2)它将测量网状物的形状，并量化球状网状物、框架线和粘性捕获丝两种组成纤维的材料特性。这将包括测试由生态多样性的球状编织蜘蛛样本纺制的丝纤维的强度、延展性和韧性。3)然后将这两种类型的数据结合在一起，以检查不同的圆球编织蜘蛛之间丝绸的生物力学特性如何与网络形状共同进化，这些蜘蛛彼此具有相似和非常不同的生态环境。该项目将产生三个主要的更广泛的影响：1)促进对蜘蛛丝的生物技术开发；2)对科学方面代表性不足的学生进行辅导；以及3)促进公众的科学素养。蜘蛛丝的极端性能使其成为开发仿生超纤维和织物的理想模型。这个项目将展示生物勘探者如何利用蛛网形状作为蜘蛛结成不寻常的机械丝绸的指示器。它还将决定丝绸的不同机械性能相互独立变化的程度。这一知识对于生物工程重组蜘蛛丝用于定制应用至关重要，因为定制应用需要强度和弹性的独特组合。本科生每年将通过自主项目的开发和完成，积极参与该项目的基础科学研究。这些项目将与网络进化和丝绸机械有关，其中一些学生甚至将参加非洲和南美洲的实地考察旅行，在那里他们将接触到与生物多样性相关的研究和新的文化。这一点特别重要，因为阿克伦大学的学生主要来自人口稠密的俄亥俄州东北部，生物专业的学生大多是女性，超过30%的学生来自未被充分代表的少数民族群体。这些学生中的许多人没有接触过基础科学研究或科学方面的职业机会。最后，研究人员将利用媒体对蜘蛛网和丝绸的兴趣来加强公众对生物多样性和经常被误解的进化过程的了解。他们还将利用这项研究，通过在阿克伦大学设立的暑期实习项目，向高中生介绍基础科学研究与工业之间的关系。

Public abstract Spiders produce different types of silks that have remarkable physical properties. Some spider silk can even absorb more energy before breaking than high performance manmade materials. Orb webs are an outstanding example of how a combination of properties from two types of silk fibers, stiff supporting threads and stretchy capture spirals, function to absorb the high energy impacts of flying insect prey. Yet, orb webs spun by different species of spiders can have radically different shapes. This project seeks to understand how the mechanical function of spider silk may evolve in relation to changes in the way different species of spiders spin webs. The research will involve three steps. 1) It will produce the first robust hypothesis for evolutionary relationships among orb-weaving spiders by using novel DNA data and expanded data on morphology. 2) It will measure the shapes of webs and quantify the material properties for the two constituent fibers of orb webs, frame threads and sticky capture silk. This will include testing the strength, stretchiness, and toughness of the silk fibers spun by an ecologically diverse sampling of orb-weaving spiders. 3) These two types of data will then be combined to examine the how the biomechanical properties of silks coevolve with web shape among different of orb-weaving spiders that have both similar and very different ecologies from one another. This project will have three primary broader impacts; 1) facilitating biotechnological exploitation of spider silks, 2) mentoring of underrepresented students in science, and 3) contributing to public scientific literacy. The extreme performance of spider silk makes it a desirable model for the development of biomimetic superfibers and fabrics. This project will demonstrate how web shape can be used by bioprospectors as an indicator for spiders that spin mechanically unusual silks. It will also determine the degree to which different mechanical properties of silks can change independently of one another. This knowledge is essential for efforts to bioengineer recombinant spider silk for customized applications that require unique combinations of strength and stretchiness. Undergraduates will be actively involved in basic scientific research each year of this project through the development and completion of independent projects. These projects will relate to web evolution and silk mechanics and some of these students will even participate in field research excursions to Africa and South America, where they will gain exposure to biodiversity related research and to new cultures. This is particularly relevant, because U Akron students are predominately from heavily populated northeastern Ohio and a majority of biology students are female, with more than 30% from under-represented minority ethnic groups. Many of these students have not been exposed to basic scientific research or to career possibilities in the sciences. Finally, the investigators will use the media's interest in spider webs and silk to enhance the public's knowledge of biodiversity and the often-misunderstood process of evolution. They will also use the research to introduce high school students to the relationship between basic scientific research and industry through established summer internship programs at U Akron.