NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Form and Function of a water specialist orb weaver: From Molecules to Biomechanics

Alicea-Serrano, Angela M, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Spiders build webs using different silk types with distinct functionalities, including strong and tough dragline silk to intercept and stop prey, reusable glue that sticks to prey, and durable attachment disks that anchor silk to substrates. Despite great interest in these properties, spider silk performance, especially in the context of web architecture, is well-studied in few species. Atypical webs in challenging habitats help to reveal how natural selection has modified silks for different applications. This project will advance knowledge of the functional links between silk structure, mechanics and evolutionary ecology, and will expand the range of possible silk applications from single threads to thread networks, as well as glues that could even stick to water surfaces. This study will also prepare the fellow for an independent research career, recruit undergraduate students from underrepresented groups, and will make spider silk research widely accessible to public audiences. Life at the air-water interface is a fundamental challenge for small animals. The spider Wendilgarda clara uses an unusual, reduced, horizontal orb web anchored to the water surface of streams to catch floating prey. Hunting at the water interface potentially requires the evolution of unique architecture and chemistry for attachment discs anchoring to water and the evolution of novel proteins to enable prey capture using single strands of silk in webs. The objectives of this project are: (1) to determine how Wengilgarda webs attach to water through silk chemistry, spigot morphology, and behavior; (2) to understand how silk material properties and web shape interact during prey capture; and (3) to characterize the structure and evolution of Wendilgarda web silk proteins. The work integrates cutting-edge molecular and biomechanics tools to link silk performance from proteins to whole webs in nature. The project broadens participation by recruiting undergraduates from local universities in Massachusetts and Ohio, as well as undergraduate and high school students from public schools in Puerto Rico. Field work, project progress and results will be disseminated by social media and will also promote biomaterial development, since attachment disc silk shows great potential for developing strong, robust superglues that could stick to water surfaces. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.