Open AccessOutsourced hearing in an orb-weaving spider that uses its web as an auditory sensor
Author(s) -
Jian Zhou,
Junpeng Lai,
Gil Menda,
Jay A. Stafstrom,
Carol I. Miles,
Ronald R. Hoy,
Ronald N. Miles
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2122789119
Subject(s) - weaving , spider , orb (optics) , computer science , sensory system , stimulus modality , auditory system , human–computer interaction , biology , cognitive science , ecology , neuroscience , psychology , zoology , artificial intelligence , image (mathematics)
Significance The sense of hearing in all known animals relies on possessing auditory organs that are made up of cellular tissues and constrained by body sizes. We show that hearing in the orb-weaving spider is functionally outsourced to its extended phenotype, the proteinaceous self-manufactured web, and hence processes behavioral controllability. This finding opens new perspectives on animal extended cognition and hearing—the outsourcing and supersizing of auditory function in spiders. This study calls for reinvestigation of the remarkable evolutionary ecology and sensory ecology in spiders—one of the oldest land animals. The sensory modality of outsourced hearing provides a unique model for studying extended and regenerative sensing and presents new design features for inspiring novel acoustic flow detectors.