Spiders eat there own web to servive???

[tarantula3898]

I have read that some (SOME) species of spiders eat there web for the protein before they make a new web, but I have never heard of them doing it because of starvation. In fact I have witnessed several species of Labidognatha starve to death in my basement without so much as nibbling at there web.


Now I had a biology teacher who swears up and down that spiders instinctual eat there web for survival and refuses to tell me where she got the information. She says that I need to do the research and that she had to do lots of research when she was in school, and now its my turn.

I would so love to have proved two bio people wrong, being that I have no degree.


Edit(yes I know I spelled survive wrong)

[8+)]

I don't know how effective that instinct would be. On the one hand they might recover a little protein and survive another day, but on the other hand they would eliminate any chance of catching a real meal! Plus their web is a valuable resource for collecting water; which maybe of even more immediate importance.

I think perhaps making it a blanket statement like that is where she errs. I can imagine spiders that don't depend solely on a web to catch prey, adopting that sort of strategy.

Of course, many spiders eat their old web before making a new one, especially species that remake their webs often, like many orb weavers do for instance. But it just doesn't make sense to me that a spider on it last leg, would desperately eat it's web to stave off starvation, when it would just have to turn around and make a new one.

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find that the opposite is actually true! That a spider that usually eats and rebuilds it's web often, would actually conserve energy by not rebuilding, or rebuilding less often when on the brink of starvation.

My credentials to present to your teacher are that I'm just indulging in pure speculation! :rolleyes: :8o

[buthus]

Sorry realized Ive posted a bit much. :p :rolleyes:

Here is all that Ive seen regarding this subject...
Female latros that are hurting for a meal and fluids ...if they throw a good sticky one but the prey manages to avoid capture, the widow will often drink the web droplets and reabsorb the lost fluids. Ive seen them successfully wrap up the prey enough to secure it and then stop for a drink of webbing droplets.
Web producing surely uses a lot of resources. ...esp H2O. Starving spiders often die because they cant produce the webbing they need to eat ...as already stated by 8+).

[John Apple]

All orb weavers eat the old web before making a new one with the exception of some of the cribelate orb weavers.
The radial lines hold the sticky orb lines and those are somewhat 'wet' , so to speak. A decent source of protien and fluids for a spider with no meal for the evening. Insects are small also and I am sure many minute insects get trapped that we can not see well that the spider traps in the orb lines. Nothing is wasted.
I have some latros and have seen them eat the sticky globs before finishing a meal

[tarantula3898]

I thinking we have a great case to argue being that nobody has heard of a study/experiment to test this so-called fact. Well I'm convinced, but then again some people just won't admit to being wrong in the slightest for fear of having there stuff questioned. I think I'm gonna let this one go for now.