Author: Laurel Hamers / Source: Science News for Students
Spiders don’t have wings, but that doesn’t mean they’re stuck on land.
Carried on a parachute of silk strands, spiders have been known to drift kilometers above Earth’s surface. These so-called ballooning spiders may even soar across oceans to reach new habitats. Electrical charges in the air might provide a cue on when to fly, new research suggests.This invisible signal might help explain why spiders’ takeoff timing is so unpredictable. Some days, large numbers of spiders balloon together. On other days, they stay firmly grounded despite similar weather conditions.
When conditions are right, some spider species climb to a high point. There, they release silken strands as they await the breeze needed to help them soar away.
To take off, spiders need gentle air currents. Past studies had shown that wind speeds under 11 kilometers per hour (7 miles per hour) were best. But such a light breeze shouldn’t be strong enough to get some of the larger ballooning-spider species off the ground, points out Erica Morley. She’s a sensory biologist at the University of Bristol in England.
As a result, she notes, scientists have long wondered if some other force might be involved.
For example, electrical charges in Earth’s atmosphere form a field that attracts or repels other electrically charged objects or particles.
This electric field varies in strength. It grows around objects such as leaves and branches on…The post Electric currents in the air may cue ‘ballooning’ spiders on when to take off appeared first on FeedBox.