methods

To determine the relationship between spider weight and spider web thickness, 3 different species of spiders of different sizes will be collected from various sites around campus. We will collect 2 spiders in each species. The spiders will be weighed on analytical scales and will be sorted based on weight. They will then be placed in separate containers  and will be allowed to spin out spider silk.The spiders will be left in their containers to make a web for 5 days. We will feed them 1 fruit fly each day. We will remove the web with tweezers and place onto a microscope slide. The silk will be fixed onto microscope slides using distilled water as a buffer. The silk will be observed under a microscope at 40x magnification and be characterized based on size, using a stage micrometer, and web type. The webs will be sorted based on type, and then subgroups will be made based on size. The data will be analyzed based on the spider species and then the web size will be compared to spider weight to determine if any correlation exists.