Web rope. The incredible use of the web for medical purposes What is the web

As a spider weaves a web, experts shot a video where you can see in detail the actions of an arthropod. The ability to weave an openwork fabric, funnel-shaped nets, cocoons for larvae is transmitted genetically. The young spider repeats all the actions of his mother, never seeing how it is done. Spiders make the web different in shape, size, structure, used for different purposes.

Spider web composition

It is the secret of the spider glands. After isolation, it stretches, hardens in the form of thin threads. In the future, they are intertwined, made stronger. Used to form a pattern or as a building material.

What does the spider's web consist of - a protein enriched with alanine, serine, glycine. Inside the spider gland, the substance is in liquid form. In the process of passing through the spinning tubes, it hardens, turns into a thread.

Where does the spider web come from - from warts located near the genitals. A crystalline protein is formed inside the thread, which increases the strength and flexibility of the fibers. Depending on the purpose for which the web will be used, the thickness and strength change.

Interesting!
The strength of the spider's web is close to nylon, it retains tension when stretching, compressing the threads. An object suspended on a long web can be rotated long time in one direction, it will not get tangled, it will not even resist when moving. Thanks to this feature, the spider can hang in the air for a long time, attaching the end to the plant, and also over long distances with the help of gusts of wind.

Why does a spider weave a web - main functions

The web is allocated not arbitrarily, but when the need arises. Different people use threads for different purposes, but absolutely all females use a special secret to attract males.

If you carefully consider where the female releases the web, you will notice that the warts with a secret are located near the genitals. A sexually mature female additionally releases odorous substances, the smell of which is captured by the male.
The family weaves trapping nets. The creation of large specimens within a radius reaches 2 m. The density of the canvas is such that a bird gets entangled in it, small rodent, amphibians. Insects and their larvae get entangled in the nets.
Soil, underground specimens build burrows in the ground with numerous labyrinths. Trapping nets do not build, but protect the entrance with a cobweb, pull signal threads. By their vibration, they determine the approach of a potential victim, they instantly go hunting.
Spiders live apart, gathering in pairs only for mating. Possessions are divided, when borders are violated, deadly fights occur. For resettlement, development of a new area, the spider weaves a strong long thread, attaches it to a leaf, twig, goes down, waits for a gust of wind. Through the air, an arthropod can fly several hundred kilometers or land under a neighboring bush. Active migration begins after birth younger generation spiders.
After fertilization, the female begins to form a cocoon from the web. Lays inside from 50 to 1000 eggs. It fixes in a secluded place or drags along the entire period of development of the larvae.
From strong threads, the arachnid builds a house for itself, a shelter for wintering. Unique creature - , builds a nest underwater. Initially, it weaves a house of threads, fills it with air, lives inside, lets the male into mating season, hatches cubs there, drags inside the caught victim.
A predator wraps its prey in a web after injecting a toxin. After that, he leaves the prey, watches it aside until the convulsions stop. If the predator is not hungry, it hangs the caught prey on a web in a secluded place in reserve.
Some species of arthropods wrap leaves with cobwebs, stretch out a long thread, pull it to divert the attention of predators from their shelter. They make a puppet, which is then skillfully controlled. Some more craftsmen weave a raft from improvised means, float on the surface of the water, catch fry, larvae, and crustaceans.

The spider leaves the trapping nets with significant damage to the threads by insects. Starts forming a new canvas after 12 victims caught.

On a note!
The arthropod often eats its invention. This phenomenon is explained by the replenishment of the body with protein, the presence of moisture that accumulates on the canvas due to dew.

How a spider spins a web

Many arachnids lead night image life, are engaged in "weaving" in the dark. How long a spider weaves a web depends on the type of arthropod. On average, the orb weaver takes about 1 hour to form strong trapping nets. If reconstruction is required, the process takes a few minutes.

How quickly a spider spins a web can be seen in the video below. This arthropod does this automatically, each time repeating the same pattern. The most attractive are the openwork patterns of the orbs. Initially, a strong web is taken, stretched in the shape of a triangle, then cells of different sizes are formed.

Interesting!
Spider web living in tropical forests Brazil, so durable that it is used by local fishermen to catch fish. The threads are used to weave a thin, but very durable fabric. Kraig Biocraft manufactures bulletproof vests from natural raw materials of spiders.

How a spider weaves a web between trees can be seen in the garden, in conditions wildlife. Openwork fabric or funnel sparkles in the sun, attracts insects. But the process itself, like a spider pulling a web between two trees, deserves admiration. Initially, the predator descends, waits for a gust of wind, moves through the air to a neighboring tree, and fixes the second end there. Then the matter remains small.

During the flight, the spider controls the speed by adjusting the length of the thread. When elongated, it moves slower; when contracted, it moves faster. To land, you need to throw a web on a plant, tree.

What is a web, quite clearly imagines, probably, every person. It is unlikely that there will be anyone who would not come across such “laces” in the forest or in their own house. However, in Everyday life people usually give little thought to how spiders make it. And the goals of creating networks are usually presented by people in a very truncated version. At the same time, the web can be considered one of the most amazing and mysterious natural phenomena.

What is a web and how is it made

Spiders are the only creatures that have special glands that are capable of secreting a liquid of incredible composition. It hardens almost instantly upon contact with air - there is not much time for the spider to weave a web from it. Moreover, the allocated secret is of two types. One so-called dry - the basis of "lace" is created from it. The second one has increased stickiness - the spider processes its creation with it so that the insect that touched it could not get out of the trap.

What are networks for?

Having understood what a web is, let's figure out for what purposes it is created. Contrary to common misconceptions, spider "lace" is not only used for hunting, although this is the prevailing task. However, there are others.

Cocoons are woven from the web, in which the spider lays her eggs.
Prey is wrapped in it for storage in reserve.
Wintering houses are built from nets; those of the spiders that wait out the cold in earthen burrows make a very ingenious door-lid that closes the entrance.
The female entering the mating season signals this to potential partners and points the way to herself with the help of a thread impregnated with pheromones.
Juveniles of certain species move to new hunting grounds on a long thread carried by the wind.

So the web is a very important and multifunctional part of the life of arachnids.

Curious facts

The web is still not fully understood by scientists. And repeat this natural phenomenon modern science and not yet able to.

The spider's web is simply amazingly strong. If such threads were woven into a net the size of a football field, it could stop a flying Boeing. AT South America there are cobweb bridges along which monkeys cross the gorges, and fish are caught in nets from cobwebs.
Spider "lace" has electrostatic properties, which allows its threads to rush to flying past prey.
Many spiders eat their old webs.
The web is considered almost the lightest material in the world: if you stretch it along the entire equator, it would weigh only 340 grams.

Arachnids stand out from all insects with the ability to weave amazing cobweb patterns.
How a spider spins a web is unimaginable. A small creature creates large and strong networks. An amazing ability was formed 130 million years ago.

All possibilities in animals appear and are fixed when natural selection not by chance. Each action has a strictly defined purpose.

The spider spins a web to achieve vital goals:

catching prey;
breeding;
strengthening their minks;
fall insurance;
deception of predators;
facilitate movement on surfaces.

The order of spiders consists of 42 thousand species, each of which has its own preferences in the use of the arachnoid structure. To hold the victim, the grid is used by all representatives. Males - aranemorphs on the grid leave secretions of seminal fluid. Then the spider on the web walks, collecting secretions on the organs of copulation.

After fertilization, the babies are formed in a protective web cocoon. Some females leave pheromones on the net - substances that attract partners. Spinners wrap threads around leaves and twigs. The result is dummies to distract predators. Silverfish living in the water make houses with air cavities.

The size of the web depends on the type of spider. Some tropical arachnids create "masterpieces" with a diameter of 2 m, capable of holding even a bird. Ordinary spider webs are smaller.
It is interesting to know how much a spider weaves a web. Zoologists managed to find out that the cross-piece copes with the work in a few hours. Representatives of hot countries take several days to create patterns of a large area. main role in the process are carried out by special bodies.

The structure of the spider glands

On the abdomen of the insect there are outgrowths - arachnoid warts with holes in the form of tubes.
Through these ducts, a viscous liquid flows out from the arachnoid gland. When exposed to air, the gel turns into thin fibers.

The chemical composition of the web

The unique ability of the released solution to solidify is explained by the structural components.

The composition of the liquid contains a high concentration of protein containing the following amino acids:

glycine;
alanine;
serine

The quaternary structure of the protein, when pushed out of the duct, changes in such a way that filaments are formed as a result. From the filamentous formations, subsequently, fibers are obtained, the strength of which
4 to 10 times the strength of a human hair.,
1.5 - 6 times stronger than steel alloys.

Now it becomes clear how a spider weaves a web between trees. Thin strong fibers do not break, they are easily compressed, stretched, rotated without twisting, connecting the branches into a single network.

The purpose of the life of a spider is the extraction of protein food. The answer to the question "Why do spiders weave webs" is obvious. First of all, for hunting insects. They make a trapping net complex design. Appearance patterned structures is different.

Most often we see polygonal networks. Sometimes they are almost round. Weaving from spiders requires incredible skill and patience. Sitting on the top branch, they form a thread that hangs in the air. If you are lucky, the thread will quickly catch on to a branch in a suitable place and the spider will move to a new point for further work. If the thread does not catch in any way, the spider pulls it towards itself, eats it so that the product does not disappear, and begins the process again. Gradually forming a frame, the insect proceeds to create radial foundations. When they are ready, the only thing left is to make connecting threads between the radii;
Funnel representatives have a different approach. They make a funnel and hide at the bottom. When the victim approaches, the spider jumps out and pulls it into the funnel;
Some individuals form a network of zigzag threads. The probability that the victim will not get out of such a pattern is much greater;
The spider with the name "bola" does not bother itself, spins out only one thread, on which there is a drop of glue at the end. The hunter shoots the thread at the victim, sticking it tightly;
Spiders - ogres were even more cunning. They make a small mesh between the paws, then cast on the desired object.

Designs depend on the living conditions of insects, their species.

Conclusion

Having found out how a spider weaves a web, what are its features, it remains to admire this creation of nature, to try to create something similar. In delicate patterns of knitted shawls, craftswomen copy patterns. Antennas, nets for catching fish and animals are made according to similar schemes. So far, a person has not been able to fully simulate the process.

Video: Spider weaves a web

Many people are terribly afraid of spiders and their webs. However, the web is the most interesting and extremely unusual natural material. More recently, archaeologists have found amber in which they found a preserved web. The age of this web is estimated at more than 135 million years. This shows that spiders have been on our planet for a very long time and are one of the most ancient insects on the planet.

The composition of the web

First you need to tell what the web contains. The web is a protein that the spider secretes from its spinning tubes. In the body of a spider, this protein is enriched with alanine, serine, and also glycine. Due to this, the web, leaving the spinning tubes, becomes solid on the outside, but remains liquid inside. Unique properties the strength and elasticity of the web can be explained by a combination of two types of protein - spidroin-1 (strong) and spidroin-2 (elastic).

The use of the web in medicine

Since ancient times, the web has been used in folk medicine. For example, with its help it was possible to stop bleeding. It was enough to apply a web cleaned of all insects and debris to the wound, and the blood would stop.

Such properties have interested modern medicine. A lot of research has been done. According to the results of research, specialists in transplantology and surgery became interested in the web in order to use it as a means for creating artificial tendons, as well as ligaments. Due to the bactericidal properties of the web, its use as films could significantly accelerate the healing process of burns and wounds without rejection of these films by the body.

Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to synthesize such a protein chemically. However, scientists can still boast of some successes. So, for example, scientists were able to create an analogue of a spider's thread, which is 4 times inferior in strength to a natural web. Although there is a large difference in strength, the synthesized material is much stronger than bone and tendon.

Scientists from Hannover recently stated that plastic surgery will soon be able to stitch together damaged nerves through the use of cobwebs. According to them, the web has all the properties necessary for such an operation: elasticity, lack of rejection by the body, self-dissolution.

Scientists from Tufts University conducted research that resulted in modified proteins contained in the web. The most interesting thing is that the resulting proteins attached only to diseased cells, bypassing healthy ones.

Some research suggests that webs can be used to create artificial skin.

Unfortunately, the use of the web in medicine requires a large number of spiders. Therefore, in the first place for scientists is the search for synthetic silk, which would have the same properties as the natural web. This will allow such material to be used in any research that will lead to the discovery of something new.

The web is a kind of secret produced by the spider glands. Such a secret, after a short time after isolation, is able to solidify in the form of strong protein filaments. The web is secreted not only by spiders, but also by some other representatives of the arachnid group, including false scorpions and ticks, as well as millipedes.

How do spiders produce webs?

A large number of spider glands are located in abdominal cavity spider. The ducts of such glands open into the smallest spinning tubes, which have access to the end part of special spider warts. The number of spinning tubes can vary depending on the type of spider. For example, a very common cross-spider has five hundred of them.

It is interesting! In the arachnoid glands, it produces a liquid and viscous protein secret, a feature of which is the ability to almost instantly harden under the influence of air and turn into thin long threads.

The process of spinning the web consists in pressing the spider web warts to the substrate. The first, insignificant part of the released secret solidifies and securely sticks to the substrate, after which the spider draws out the viscous secret with the help of its hind legs. In the process of removing the spider from the place of attachment of the web, the protein secret is stretched and quickly hardens. To date, there are seven well-known and well-studied different types spider glands that produce different types threads.

The composition and properties of the web

Spider web is a protein compound, which also includes glycine, alanine and serine. The inner part of the formed filaments is represented by rigid protein crystals, the size of which does not exceed a few nanometers. The crystals are held together by highly elastic protein bonds.

It is interesting! An unusual property of the web is its internal hinge. When suspended on a spider web, any object can be rotated an unlimited number of times, without twisting.

The primary threads are intertwined by the spider and become a thicker arachnoid fiber. The strength indicators of the web are close to those of nylon, but much stronger than the secret silkworm. Depending on the purpose for which the web is supposed to be used, not only a sticky, but also a dry thread, the thickness of which varies considerably, can be released by the spider.

Web functions and its purpose

The web is used by spiders for a variety of purposes. A shelter woven from a strong and reliable web allows you to create the most favorable microclimatic conditions for arthropods, and also serves good cover, both from bad weather and from numerous natural enemies. Many arthropod arachnids are able to braid the walls of their mink with their web or make a kind of door into a dwelling out of it.

It is interesting! Some species use the web as a form of transport, and young spiders leave the parental nest on long cobwebs that are picked up by the wind and carried over considerable distances.

Most often, spiders use webs to weave sticky trapping webs, which makes it possible to effectively catch prey and provide food to the arthropod. No less famous are the so-called egg cocoons from the web, inside which young spiders appear.. Some species weave web safety threads to protect the arthropod from falling during the jump and to move or catch prey.

Web for reproduction

The breeding season is characterized by the allocation of cobweb threads by the female, which allow you to find the optimal pair for mating. For example, male snails are able to build, next to the nets created by the females, miniature mating cobweb laces, into which the spiders are lured.

Male cross spiders deftly attach their horizontal webs to radially arranged threads of trapping webs made by females. Inflicting strong blows on the web with their limbs, the males cause the network to vibrate and, thus in an unusual way, invite females to mate.

Web for catching prey

In order to capture their prey, many species of spiders weave special trapping nets, but some species are characterized by the use of peculiar cobweb lassoes and threads. Spiders that hide in burrow dwellings place signal threads that stretch from the abdomen of the arthropod to the very entrance to its shelter. When the prey falls into the trap, the vibration of the signal thread is instantly transmitted to the spider.

Sticky trapping spiral nets are built on a slightly different principle.. When creating it, the spider starts weaving from the edge and gradually moves towards the central part. In this case, the same gap between all the turns is necessarily maintained, resulting in the so-called "Archimedes' spiral". The threads on the auxiliary spiral are specially bitten by the spider.

Web for insurance

Jumping spiders use web threads as insurance when attacking a victim. Spiders attach the safety thread of the web to any object, after which the arthropod jumps on the intended prey. The same thread, attached to the substrate, is used for lodging for the night and insures the arthropod from the attack of all kinds of natural enemies.

It is interesting! South Russian tarantulas, leaving their dwelling-burrow, pull the thinnest gossamer thread, which allows you to quickly find, if necessary, the way back or the entrance to the shelter.

Web as transport

By autumn, some species of spiders hatch juveniles. Young spiders that survived in the process of growing up try to climb as high as possible, using trees, tall shrubs, roofs of houses and other buildings, fences for this purpose. Waiting for enough strong wind, little spider releases a thin and long cobweb.

The distance of movement directly depends on the length of such a transport web. After waiting for a good tension of the web, the spider bites off its end, and takes off very quickly. As a rule, "travelers" are able to fly several kilometers on the web.

Silver spiders use the web as a water transport. This spider needs to breathe to hunt in water atmospheric air. When descending to the bottom, the arthropod is able to capture a portion of the air, and a kind of air bell is built from the web on aquatic plants, which holds the air and allows the spider to hunt its prey.