The Form and Function of Spider Orb Webs: Evolution from Silk to Ecosystems

Abstract

Spiders are the preeminent silk craftsmen among arthropods and are best known for producing aerial orb webs that snare flying insects. Orb web spiders are ubiquitous predators in terrestrial ecosystems and are popular models for behavioural and ecological research, in part due to the ease of characterizing the shapes of orb webs. Orb webs are composite structures built from multiple types of silks, each with its own unique molecular structure and mechanical function, such that orb webs also link together evolutionary research from the genes coding for silk proteins to whole web function in the environment. Yet, orb webs are only intermediate structures in the evolutionary diversification of silk use among spiders, acting as stepping stones facilitating the origin of new web types and increased spider diversification. Here, we review the current research on the form and function of spider orb webs. We provide a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of orb web biology, suitable for any new investigation into orb web biology. While other reviews exist individually for webs, silk, and spider evolution, we hope that the synthetic nature of this review will facilitate a more integrated approach by future investigators. Finally, we explore in more detail some of the most dynamic areas of orb web biology to suggest promising venues for the next decade of research on these fascinating creatures and their silken snares. In particular, we discuss how spider webs might drive speciation, the dramatic growth in our understanding of the molecular ecology of spider silk, and the importance of a greater role for spider biology per se in silk biomimicry.