Spider silks exhibit remarkable properties, surpassing most natural and synthetic materials
in both strength and toughness. Orb-web spider dragline silk is the focus of intense research …

Many animals use visual traits as a predator defence. Understanding these visual traits from
the perspective of predators is critical in generating new insights about predator–prey …

Contemporary animal signals may derive from an elaboration of existing forms or novel non‐
signalling traits. Unravelling the evolution of the latter is challenging because experiments …

Although the diversity of spider orb web architectures is impressive, few lineages have
evolved orb webs larger than 1m in diameter. Until recently, such web gigantism was …

Many organisms are sexually dimorphic, reflecting sex-specific selection pressures. But
although sexual dimorphism may consist of different variables from size to shape and …

Spider orb-webs are the ultimate anti-ballistic devices, capable of dissipating the relatively
massive kinetic energy of flying prey. Increased web size and prey stopping capacity have …

Building structures and aggregating can increase an animal's fitness, but the benefits come
at a cost. Some orb web spiders build multiple structures or build in aggregations, which …

Some visual antipredator strategies involve the rapid movement of highly contrasting body
patterns to frighten or confuse the predator. Bright body colouration, however, can also be …

The parasocial-route hypothesis postulates that coloniality in spiders is driven by the
occurrence of high prey densities. This hypothesis is partially supported by comparative …

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of organisms with a given genotype to develop varied
phenotypes under fluctuating environmental conditions. This chapter provides an overview …