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In addition to its many other amazing abilities, spider silk carries arachnids thousands of miles in the air, like balloons. It has long been thought that this phenomenon was simply a case of wind picking them up, but a new study found that creatures use atmospheric electric fields instead.
At a glance, the wind theory seems to be the common sense way that balloon spiders, but it has some holes. For one, the silk strands themselves form a fan shape, which does not seem able to catch enough air to raise the creatures. On top of that, they were observed getting a good antenna time even on calm days.
"Current theories fail to predict hot air balloon trends by using wind alone as a driver," says Erica Morley, senior researcher of the study. "Why are some days there are big numbers taking air, while on other days no spider will try to inflate? We wanted to know if there are any. had other external forces as well as aerodynamic drag what sensory system they could use to detect this stimulus. "
Another idea that has been launched (pun intended) is that spiders are typing in electric fields (e-fields). These electronic fields exist around all matter and even surround the Earth in the form of atmospheric potential gradient (APG). Although insects such as bees can detect them, spiders are not known.
Strangely, Bristol researchers say no one has ever tested whether electronic fields play a role in ballooning or whether animals can even detect them. . To find out, the team placed Linyphiid spiders in a laboratory, with no outside wind or natural fields. Then they created their own electric fields in the room, with the same strength as those found in the atmosphere.
The team noticed that in response to the electronic fields, the spiders were entering a "tiptoe" position, raising their bodies higher and pointing their abdomen up, which seems indicate that the creature was trying to start inflating. The tiny hairs on the spider's legs were also standing at the end in response to the e-field, which the team was deducing as they felt the load.
As the field line became stronger, the spiders took to the air, and were back down when the scientists took off the ground. This shows that spiders can use electrostatic forces to take off, and once in the air, they could break in the wind to travel long distances. "Previously, the forces of wind drag or heat were considered to be responsible for this mode of dispersion, showing that electric fields, at concentrations found in the atmosphere, can trigger swelling and provide lift in the atmosphere. 39, lack of air movement, "Morley explains." This means that electric fields as well as drag could provide the forces needed to disperse spider balloons in the wild. "
L & # 39; team plans to check if other animals detect and use electric fields for similar behaviors.
The research was published in the journal Current Biology, and the team describes the Study in the video below
Source: University of Bristol
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