Orb-weaving spiders respond to severe damage to their webs by building bigger silk crosses, making their webs more visible to animals that might accidentally walk or fly into them. The researchers have likened constructing bigger silk crosses to putting masking tape on glass windows to prevent people walking into them.
Orb-weaving spiders only construct these larger crosses when web damage is “significant”, as a lot of nutritional resources are required for the rebuilding process.
Read more at The University of Melbourne