Monday, April 07, 2008

Building Bridges -- April 2008 and ODD SHOT MONDAY

If you are here for ODD SHOTS, please scroll down.


RuneE is sponsoring this monthly challenge on the first Monday of every month. Building Bridges is subject to open interpretation.

This "bridges between" meme has challenged me to think beyond the normal bridges we see on the water. I have some great ones of those since I live on the Washington side of the Columbia River. One day, I will also share them on this meme but today I decided I wanted to show a different kind of bridge. I like that this challenge is just once a month because then I have time to really think out my entry.


PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE FOR DETAILS.

I ran across this photo I had taken last year of two spiders in side by side webs and my mind began to think of the bridges spiders make to trap their prey. The web construction itself is also a bridge for the spider to build the finished product.

I found this information in Wikipedia:

How spiders make webs
A orb weaver web anchored in a fork of a peach tree in winter
Spiders have several spinneret glands located at their abdomen which produce the silken thread. Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose. Seven different gland types have currently been identified, although each species of spider will possess only a few of these types, never all seven at once.
Normally a spider has three pairs of spinnerets, but there are spiders with just one pair or as many as four pairs of spinnerets, with each spinneret having its own function.

During the process of making a web the spider will use its own body for measurements, a very practical and ergonomic design feature of any web. This will allow the spider to move quickly and efficiently around its own web with very few faults. It will start with the most difficult part of construction, the first thread. The spider effectively utilizes the wind to carry its initial adhesive thread. With some luck the silk is released from its spinners and carried by the wind to a suitable adherable surface.

When it sticks to a surface the spider will carefully walk over the thread and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the primary thread is strong enough to support the rest of the netting. After strengthening the first thread the spider will continue to make a Y shaped netting. The first three radials of the web are now constructed. More radials are added making sure that the distance between each radial is small enough to cross. This means that the number of radials in a web directly depends on the size of the spider plus the size of the web. After the radials are complete the spider will fortify the center of the web with about five circular threads. Then a spiral of non-sticky, evenly spaced, circular threads are made for the spider to easily move around its own web during construction. The spider then, beginning from the outside in, will methodically create the adhesive spiral threads. It will utilize the initial radiating lines as well as the non-sticky spirals as guide lines. The spaces between each spiral will be directly proportional to the distance from the tip of its back legs to its spinners.

This is one way the spider will use its own body as a measuring/spacing device. While the sticky spirals are formed the non-adhesive spirals are removed as there is no need for them anymore. After the spider has completed its web it will chew off the initial three center spiral threads then sit and wait. If the web is broken without any structural damage during the construction the spider does not make any initial attempts to rectify the problem. Indeed, there are many variations to constructing a web. This is just one possible way.

Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process due to the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is not uncommon for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus "recycled."

The tensile strength of spider silk is greater than the same weight of steel and has much greater elasticity. Its microstructure is under investigation for potential applications in industry, including bullet-proof vests, and artificial tendons. Researchers have used genetically modified mammals to produce the proteins needed to make this material.


The spider, after spinning its web, will then wait on, or near, the web for a prey animal to become trapped. The spider can sense the impact and struggle of a prey animal by vibrations transmitted along the web lines.

Spiders do not usually adhere to their own webs. However, they are not immune to their own glue. Some of the strands of the web are sticky, and others are not. For example, if a spider has chosen to wait along the outer edges of its web, it may spin a non-sticky prey or signal line to the web hub to monitor web movement. Spiders have to be careful to only climb on the non-sticky strands of their webs.

A spider positioned in the middle of the web makes for a highly visible prey for birds and other predators, even without web decorations. Many day-hunting orb-web spinners reduce this risk by hiding at the edge of the web with one foot on a signal line from the hub, or by appearing to be inedible or unappetizing.



The symbol above is for a new meme that Katney started recently .

While most bus shelters have space for a wheel chair and a bench for at least two people and more room to stand under in case it is raining, on a walk, I recently spied this small bus stop seating near a church. To me it was definitely odd but am sure, welcoming to those who need to wait for a bus.

38 comments:

Sharon said...

That is pretty odd. Usually bus stops with seating provide some sort of protection from the elements. Great post.

I loved your spider web pictures! Very nicely caught.

dot said...

Wow Paulie! Great shots of the spider webs!
Cute little bus stop seat also and certainly an odd shot.

Anonymous said...

I think you have made a great odd shot and a marvellous "bridges between" photo! Both of them are very interesting and successful!

Greetings from Istanbul,

p.s. My "odd shot" is up too. Please use Babelfish for translation in English.

Lilli & Nevada said...

It has not been long ago that they added bus stops here in Bend. But there is no seating here. This is really an odd seat for sure.

Speaking of Sonics, I guess they are just starting to come to Oregon. They are also building one in Roseburg. I am surprised that you don't have any there. Portland has them as well.

Lilli & Nevada said...

Building Bridges is fantastic, you really did well on that. Never thought of that but A + thinking.

Rune Eide said...

A very beautiful picture of the spider-nets! I know from experience that they are very difficult to get right. I enjoyed your interpretation of the two webs as a bridge - indeed, the WWW is a bridge!

mrsnesbitt said...

How unusual! Yes a good odd shot in deed.

ArneA said...

Odd yes, but the most odd was that there was two seats. Try to get a photo from the fight between three youngsters fighting for one of the seats. Great shot, BUT EVEN MORE GREAT is the photo of the spider net.
That was fantastic.
Congratulation!!!!!

imac said...

Great webbed Bridge for Bridge Theme day.Love the info and thought it very intersting. Also your Odd Shot was great too.

My Bridge is also up.

Gerald (SK14) said...

I don't think I've ever seen webs as huge as these.

love the bus stop seats even if there isn't a shelter

Anne said...

What a picture and god reflectations. This is what we in Norway calles a house for many gererations..., Generasjonsbolig
:-)

EG CameraGirl said...

Interesting interpretation of Bridges Between. I doubt that I ever would have thought of that. ;-) You think creatively.

Anne-Berit said...

Quite a builder,that one.I have never known how they do that,but now I do.Thank you:o)

Daniel J Santos said...

Excellent idea and information for the project Bridges.

Silly Goose said...

I've never seen a bus stop like that. Nope, never!

Dragonstar said...

That is odd! I've never seen anything like that.

Lilli & Nevada said...

Paulie,
I had no idea those were in other places with that set up on liberty tax. I just thought they were odd.
I have not participated in Building Bridges as i thought i would never have enough bridges to post.

Pernille said...

That's a fantastic bridge and thank you for learning me about how spiders makes webbs! It was realy interesting:)
Have a nice day:)

Kim said...

That bench definitely won't keep you dry, but after standing around waiting for a bus it is probably a nice relief.

GundaM said...

Great spider webs ;)
Have a nice day!

ANNA-LYS said...

This is a lovely bridging network!
Amazing picture and I do love Your thinking!

FANCY said...

That is like it is from a scary movie but when I take a second look it look great and not scary at all ;)

Diane said...

looks like a condensed version of a bus stop! LOL!

FO - 2 said...

Good idea Paulie. :)
Two spiders, side by side.
Great photo.
Special bus stop as well. ;)
Never seen one like that before.

Anonymous said...

The bridge made by the female spider is a bridge of death. Wouldn't like to walk on that one.

Unknown said...

Great shots of the spider webs Paulie. It`s looks like a fishing net :-)
The bus stop seat is odd. Well done for the odd shots and bridges.

dixymiss said...

Although I'm not on speaking terms with spiders (shudder), this was an eXcellent BB post ~ both piX and prose. The miniscule bus stop seating is a great odd shot as well.

Kostas said...

All double, two subjects, two photographs two spiders, two seats, but one big Congratulations, that is equal with two posts!!

Anonymous said...

Love that spiderweb shot... hope everyone clicks for the large shot... awesome!

Marie said...

Very good choise on bridges!

Great shots of the spider webs! Interesting post.

Anonymous said...

What a strange bus stop - Odd :)

Jane said...

Wow! Love the spider's webs. What a great idea!

Katney said...

Well, here in the boodocks we don't have any bus stops as such, though we do have the community connector bus avaialbe and I don't knwo where you catch it. As I drove into work this morning, I watched for Yakima's bus stops. There is a bus shelter by the college, but most others are just a sign to stand under.

Katney said...

When I commented on your Odd Shot I was going through the various Odd Shot posts to see them, with plans to make another tour of the Bridges posts. Now that I come back, I recognize that you did both in one post. I don't know where my head was after a busy day.

Now I am awake in the wee hours, so I am looking at bridges. I hope that a few bridge views will be a bridge back to my slumber before the alarm sounds.

The spiders do indeed form a bride in order to get their webs completed, and these two have created a twin bridge such as some we might see in the literal bridge world.

9na said...

I guess this is the tinyest bridge this month..

Cindi said...

I love the clarity in your spider web picture. You are an awesome photographer!

Love Bears All Things said...

A great post, Paulie.

I forgot my camera yesterday and today but definitely will take it tomorrow. We had lunch in the old town of Madison today. I will go back tomorrow and make photos so I can share the place on my website.
I made some shots of daughter's flowers this afternoon.
Mama Bear

GAWO said...

I like your spider web. Great!