Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
10:25
Extraction of Venom and Venom Gland Microdissections from Spiders for Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses
Published on: November 3, 2014
37.7K
Consequences of electrical conductivity in an orb spider's capture web
Fritz Vollrath1, Donald Edmonds
1Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OXI 3PS, UK, fritz.vollrath@zoo.ox.ac.uk.
Die Naturwissenschaften
|December 11, 2013
Summary
Garden spiders
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Orb webs of garden spiders (Araneus diadematus) feature a capture spiral coated with glue and suspended by dry silk threads.
- The physical properties of these capture spirals are crucial for prey entrapment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electrical conductivity of the orb web's capture spiral.
- To explore the implications of this conductivity for trapping airborne particles and interacting with ambient electric fields.
- To test the hypothesis that electric field distortions aid prey detection.
Main Methods:
- Experimental demonstration of electrical conductivity in the capture spiral, even when stretched.
- Modeling the distortion of Earth's ambient electric field by the conducting web.
- Analysis of the potential for prey to detect these electric field changes.
Main Results:
- The capture spiral is electrically conductive due to liquid connections between droplets.
- This conductivity facilitates the entrapment of charged airborne particles like pollen, spray, and insects.
- The web locally distorts the Earth's ambient electric field.
Conclusions:
- The electrical properties of orb webs play a role in prey capture.
- While webs distort electric fields, the effect is likely too weak for insects to use for evasion.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Charging Conductors By Induction
7.8K
The Earth is a good conductor of electricity, and it is so big that it can be considered an infinite source or sink of charges. It can easily exchange charges with any matter.
Generally, conductors like metals do not allow any excess charge to be present on them. Any excess charge added to metals easily flows away, for example, when a metal is placed on the Earth. This process is called earthing.
However, conductors can be charged by a process called induction. For example, consider charging a...
Generally, conductors like metals do not allow any excess charge to be present on them. Any excess charge added to metals easily flows away, for example, when a metal is placed on the Earth. This process is called earthing.
However, conductors can be charged by a process called induction. For example, consider charging a...
7.8K
01:16Equipotential Surfaces and Conductors
5.1K
For a conductor in which all charges are at rest, the conductor's surface is equipotential. The electric field is always perpendicular to equipotential surfaces. Therefore, in a conductor with static charges, the electric field just outside the conductor is always perpendicular to the conductor's surface. Any tangential component of the electric field will cause charges to move inside the conductor, which will violate the electrostatic nature of the system. In an electrostatic...
5.1K
01:22Magnetic Force On Current-Carrying Wires: Example
2.1K
In a magnetic field, moving charges encounter a force. If a wire contains these moving charges, i.e., if the wire is carrying a current, then a force acts on the wire as well. Consider a pair of flexible leads holding a wire that is 40 cm long and 10 g in weight in a horizontal position. The wire is placed in a constant magnetic field of 0.40 T, as shown in Figure 1(a). Determine the magnitude and direction of the current flowing in the wire needed to remove the tension in the supporting leads.
2.1K
01:13Electrical Conductivity
2.1K
In perfect conductors, the electric field inside is always zero due to the abundance of free electrons, which nullify any field by flowing. As a result, any residual charge resides on the surface.
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
2.1K
01:11Electric Charges
18.7K
From lightning during thunderstorms to electronic devices, the phenomenon of electromagnetism is all around us. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It has been known to humanity in various forms for thousands of years. For example, the ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus recorded his experiments on static electricity using amber and fur in the sixth century BC.
The English physicist William Gilbert studied the phenomenon of static electricity in...
The English physicist William Gilbert studied the phenomenon of static electricity in...
18.7K
01:26Charge on a Conductor
4.5K
An interesting property of a conductor in static equilibrium is that extra charges on the conductor end up on its outer surface, regardless of where they originate. Consider a hollow metallic conductor with a uniform surface charge density. Since the conductor itself is in electrostatic equilibrium, there should not be any electric field inside the conductor. Now, assume a Gaussian surface enclosing the hollow portion. Applying Gauss's law, the inner surface of the hollow conductor will not...
4.5K