Oh, What Tangled Webs They Weave:Intricate, alluring and often deadly, spiderwebs reflect their makers' goals

摘要

Halloween's favorite sticky prop may also be nature's finest tapestry.Webs of the world's more than 40,000 spider species play a host of vital roles in the lives of their makers. Wildly diverse in pattern and purpose, the silky platforms net prey but also serve as stages for mating, molting and escaping predators. Some webs can secure egg sacs or even act as diving bells—storing air bubbles underwater so spiders can breathe.