Diverse functions have been assigned to the visual appearance of webs, spiders and web
decorations, including prey attraction, predator deterrence and camouflage. Here, we review …

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 …

Host manipulation by parasites and parasitoids is a fascinating phenomenon within
evolutionary ecology, representing an example of extended phenotypes. To elucidate the …

Background Modern molecular analyses are often inconsistent with pre-cladistic taxonomic
hypotheses, frequently indicating higher richness than morphological taxonomy estimates …

When most people hear the word 'fossil'they tend to conjure up images of giant dinosaurs
such as Tyrannosaurus rex or shelled marine molluscs. Prior to the Hollywood blockbuster …

The presence of conspicuous colouration in predators is puzzling because natural selection
is expected to favour cryptic or disruptive colouration, making predators less detectable by …

Many species of the orb-web spider genus Cyclosa often adorn their webs with decorations
of prey remains, egg sacs and/or plant detritus, termeddetritus decorations'. These detritus …

The physical structures built by animals are considered extended phenotypes that reflect
how organisms make decisions and deal with changes in their biotic and abiotic …

Orb web spiders of the genus Argiope are permanently located at the hub of the orb web
and are thus vulnerable to changing environmental conditions. Severe damage to the web …

Both the uloborid Philoponella vicina and the araneid Gasteracantha cancriformis spiders
sometimes placed silk stabilimenta on non‐orb “resting webs” that consisted of only one or a …