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A fishing spider (Dolomedes).
© Kefyn Catley |
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We’d Probably All Be Dead Without Spiders
Their sheer number make spiders vital in maintaining the balance of nature. Because they structure insect communities wherever they occur, spiders play a vital role in the terrestrial food chain. Without all those hungry spiders, insect populations would explode, food crops would be decimated, and ecological balances ravaged. Humans would probably starve within a matter of months--if they hadn’t already succumbed to various insect-borne diseases. No spider, incidentally, has been found to transmit disease.
Silk + Venom = Extraordinary Evolutionary Success
Two attributes--silk and venom--have contributed to the spider’s key position in the food chain (not counting their prodigious appetites). Scientists are working to put all to use.
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