Arthropod defenses are not always easy to categorize. Often,…
Arthropod defenses are not always easy to categorize. Often, new things are discovered in the field that appear to be defenses, but they haven’t been studied yet. For example, take a look at these two unusual images of structures that were both created by spiders (not the same spider). In the first image (below), a small spider has built a structure in its web that superficially resembles (at least to our eye) a much larger spider. If you look closely, you can see the actual spider resting in the middle of its creation. In the second image (below), you can see a structure that has been found on the surface of a leaf. Scientists have yet to see a spider actively building one of these, but they have observed baby spiders hatching out of that egg sac in the center. Choose ONE of the above images and speculate on how you think it might be used for defense (by the spider that created it). You don’t need to have any experience with these examples to answer this question – we simply want you to look at the photographs and come up with a logical hypothesis for how the structure in the photograph might provide defense. In your answer, be sure to indicate where in the predation sequence the defense would be most effective and what type of predators this defense would protect against (e.g., birds, bats, other spiders, etc.). What type of predators would this defense be least effective against?
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