Orb weaving spiders spin silks from seven different glands, all of which are used for different functions. Some of these silks are as strong as steel, while others are as stretchy as rubber. These silks are constructed from a small array of proteins, providing unique opportunities to link external selective pressures on the mechanical performance of spider silks to evolutionary changes in silk genes. Based upon research that I began in the laboratory of Cheryl Hayashi, I am currently characterizing the biomechanical properties of this diverse tool kit of silks for many spiders to study how the mechanical performance of silks changes during behavioral shifts in how spiders construct webs, such as the evolution of capture webs and the development of aerial orb webs (Blackledge et al. 2005a, b). Furthermore, I am studying how spiders can manipulate the mechanical properties of silk in behavioral contexts such as responding to different types of prey or constructing different types of webs. This research is part of two NSF funded projects: "Araneid phylogeny and evolution of spider silk phenotypes" and "Acquisition of a dynamic nano-force tensile test system for ultrathin fibers with environmental control and integrated image analysis" in collaboration with Nikolaj Scharff and John Wenzel.

Adaptive radiation is a major theme in the evolution of the world’s biodiversity, yet in non-adaptive radiations, speciation occurs with minor change in the ecologies of species. Little is known about whether lineages in adaptive radiations exploit more resources than non-adaptive radiations, divide resources more finely, or both? Furthermore, does adaptive radiation result in predictable evolutionary patterns of resource exploitation, or is historical contingency so great that, despite selective pressures in common between communities, evolution of resource use within radiations is largely unpredictable? I have found that within an endemic radiation of Hawaiian spiders, sympatric species of Tetragnatha display an extraordinary diversification in how and where they construct webs (Blackledge, Binford & Gillespie 2003). Remarkably similar web building behaviors, or “ethotypes”, have evolved independently in groups of species on different islands, suggesting a deterministic pattern to the behavioral diversification of endemic Hawaiian Tetragnatha (Blackledge & Gillespie, 2004). Future research will examine how these web ethotypes function in prey capture, to test whether convergence in web architecture is related to convergent selective pressures for prey capture behavior (e.g. Blackledge, Hang & Gillespie, in prep). Furthermore, I will compare the biomechanical properties of the capture silks used to construct these diverse webs, as a framework to study how silk gene evolution is related to behavioral diversification within this adaptive radiation.

          Cylcosa (Araneidae) is the only other group of orb-weaving spiders, besides Tetragnatha (Tetragnathidae), to have dispersed to and speciated across the isolated Hawaiian Islands. In contrast to Tetragnatha, Cyclosa comprises a relatively species poor radiation. These two groups of spiders provide a unique opportunity to study why speciation is higher in one lineage than in another. Both genera are sympatric, found within the same habitats, but are segregated temporally because Cyclosa is diurnal while Tetragnatha is nocturnal. Thus, competition does not explain this difference in diversification. Preliminary data also suggest that the Hawaiian Cyclosa are not especially younger than Hawaiian Tetragnatha. Instead, comparison of resource use between these two radiations may give insight into the causes of adaptive radiation. By quantifying variation in the web architectures and resource use of endemic Hawaiian spiders and reconstructing their phylogenetic relationships I can answer two hypotheses about diversification. Do species diversify in adaptive radiations because they exploit greater ecological opportunity? Or, do species divide resources more narrowly, or tolerate greater niche overlap, so that adaptive radiations can occur regardless of ecological opportunity?

Learn more about Hawaiian spiders at Rosemary Gillespie's website.

Tetragnatha hawaiensis web from Hawai'i

Tetragnatha stelarobusta from Maui

Cyclosa simplicicauda rufescens from Hawai'i

My research focuses on the conflict that arises, between signaling presence of webs to predators and to prey, when spiders include stabilimenta in their webs. These conspicuous silk lines, crosses and spirals may have several defensive functions including camouflage of spiders, startling predators, and acting as aposematic warnings for the presence of webs (Blackledge & Wenzel 1999, 2001). However, my research indicates that insect prey can also use stabilimenta as a signal in avoidance of webs, indicating that there should be selection against the use of stabilimenta in web avoidance by insects (Blackledge & Wenzel 1999). The reflectance spectrum of the silk used to build stabilimenta suggests that the silk is cryptic to insects, unlike more primitive spider silks (Blackledge 1998b). This is supported by my experiments demonstrating that honey bees can learn to forage at targets made from primitive spider silks but not targets made from stabilimentum silk (Blackledge & Wenzel 2000). I suggest that the evolution of silk coloration has occurred through a process termed sensory drive, where innate biases in the color vision of insects has selected for the cryptic properties of stabilimenta. This system is unusual because most examples of sensory drive involve sexually selected signals but spiders’ silks have evolved under natural selection from predators and prey.

Argiope aurantia is common around Akron

immature Argiope often construct doily-like designs

mud-dauber wasps are important predators of spiders