A new analysis of funnel web spiders shows that factors such as heart rate and defense can impact the rate at which chemicals are distributed across the tips of their venom-producing fangs.
Science Alert reports that funnel web spider venoms are complex mixtures , with many potential applications as natural insecticides and pharmaceuticals. In addition, funnel web spiders’ antivenom is used to treat deadly bites caused by them.
Therefore, understanding how funnel web spiders make these mixtures will aid in more efficient extraction and use of venom, and help scientists figure out their venom function.
Biologist Linda Hernández Duran at James Cook University (Australia) believes that funnel-web spiders have the most complex venoms in the natural world and are highly regarded for their potential therapeutics and biopesticides. hidden in their venom molecules. Knowing more about how they are made is a step towards unlocking these potentials.
A funnel web spider in Border Ranges National Park. (Photo: David Wilson).
Find the factor related to the venom composition
The Australian funnel web spider is known to be the most dangerous species in the world. According to statistics, 30-40 people are bitten every year, but only male Sydney funnel web spiders kill. The world has not recorded a single death since the antidote was announced in 1981.
However, previous studies did not consider the behavior, physical, and habitat of spiders. So Ms. Duran and her colleagues set out to learn about these things.
They collected specimens of four Australian funnel-web spider species: Border Ranges (Hadronyche valida), Darling Downs (Hadronyche infensa ), south-eastern Australia spider (Hadronyche cerberea) and Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus).
The tests assessed the gathering, defensive, and climbing behavior of funnel web spiders in 3 different settings.
The first is their predatory behavior. Scientists have imitated by blowing air currents or poking spiders with tweezers.
The second setting is when they hang out with another spider of the same species. The third setting is when they explore a new territory.
In these tests, the team mapped the spiders’ behavior and measured their heart rate with a laser tracker to establish a representative value of their metabolic rate. They then collected the venom, analyzed it with a mass spectrometer.
The results of the study showed that three-quarters of Australian funnel web spiders appeared to have no link between behavior, heart rate and venom composition. However, scientists recognize the difference for Border Ranges spiders . Its higher heart rate and defense seem to be related to the different venom composition .
The fact that the other three species failed to demonstrate a similar relationship between venom composition and physical factors suggests that this association may be species-specific.
Mrs. Duran has spent a lot of time researching funnel web spiders. (Photo: James Cook University).
Venom production goes hand in hand with metabolism
Research by Ms. Duran and colleagues has found a clue that venom production and aggressive behavior during tantrums both have a metabolic ” cost” .
Specifically, according to the team’s observations, funnel web spiders can trade off behavior to compensate for these, increasing their metabolic rate to produce venom and reducing movement when threatened. Other strategies may involve modulating the number of bites, regulating the amount of venom, and displaying aggression without deploying a venomous bite.
This result may contribute to the production of antivenom and to the study of bioactive components found in funnel web spider venom.
“We showed for the first time how venom components are related to specific physiological and behavioral variables and demonstrated that these relationships are context-dependent. We obtained several valuable insights to discover and understand more about the ecological role of venom ,” said Hernández Duran.