Expedition Records Largest Known Spider Web in Sulfur Cave
In a sulfuric cave on the Albania-Greece border, scientists discovered a spider web unlike any seen before. Stretching across 106 square meters, the dense white structure is composed of thousands of tunnel-like webs. Even more remarkable, it is home to more than 111,000 spiders from two species: the domestic house spider (Tegenaria domestica) and Prinerigone vagans. Normally, larger spiders prey on smaller ones, but in Sulfur Cave, they coexist peacefully.
Researchers believe the cave’s unique conditions create this unusual truce. A sulfur-rich stream provides hydrogen sulfide, sustaining microbes that produce white biofilms. Non-biting midges feed on these biofilms, creating an abundant food source for the spiders. With plentiful prey and few predators, the spiders can live side by side without turning on each other. Scientists also suggest that the darkness, which limits the spiders’ already poor vision, may help reduce aggression.
Genetic tests show the cave spiders differ from their relatives outside, indicating adaptations to this extreme environment. Sara Goodacre, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Nottingham, says the study highlights how natural selection shapes ecosystems. She adds that the benefits of this communal system likely outweigh the costs, but warns that if food becomes scarce or conditions shift, the delicate balance could collapse.
The discovery in one of nature’s most unusual habitats not only sheds light on spider behavior but also provides insight into how extreme environments can foster complex ecological interactions. In the meantime, scientists are conducting another study that will offer more information on the creatures living inside Sulfur Cave.
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1. Who warned that the spiders’ cooperative balance could collapse if food supplies diminish or cave conditions shift suddenly?
2. What role do hydrogen sulfide-supported microbes and their white biofilms play in sustaining the entire cave ecosystem?
3. What made this newly documented spider web scientifically significant compared with previously recorded webs found in natural habitats worldwide?
4. What genetic differences did researchers identify between cave-dwelling spiders and their surface relatives, suggesting important evolutionary adaptations?
1. Where would you go if the darkness inside the cave made you too uncomfortable to continue?
2. Who do you think should study extreme environments like this, considering your own interests or concerns about nature?
3. Why would you want to visit Sulfur Cave if you had the chance to explore extreme habitats?
4. How would your opinion change if similar giant spider communities were discovered near your own hometown?
In a sulfuric cave on the Albania-Greece border, scientists discovered a spider web unlike any seen before. Stretching across 106 square meters, the dense white structure is composed of thousands of tunnel-like webs. Even more remarkable, it is home to more than 111,000 spiders from two species: the domestic house spider (Tegenaria domestica) and Prinerigone vagans. Normally, larger spiders prey on smaller ones, but in Sulfur Cave, they coexist peacefully.
Genetic tests show the cave spiders differ from their relatives outside, indicating adaptations to this extreme environment. Sara Goodacre, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Nottingham, says the study highlights how natural selection shapes ecosystems. She adds that the benefits of this communal system likely outweigh the costs, but warns that if food becomes scarce or conditions shift, the delicate balance could collapse.
