EMBARGO: November 25, 2015 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern
Insect DNA Extracted, Sequenced from Black Widow Spider Web
Insect DNA remained detectable on spider web for at least 88 days
Scientists extracted DNA from spider webs to identify the
web’s spider architect and the prey that crossed it, according
to this proof-of-concept study published November 25, 2015 in
the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Charles C. Y. Xu from the
University of Notre Dame and colleagues.
Noninvasive genetic sampling enables biomonitoring without
the need to directly observe or disturb target organisms. The
authors of this study used three black widow spiders fed house
crickets to noninvasively extract, amplify, and sequence
mitochondrial DNA from their spider web samples, which
identified both the spider and its prey to species.
The detectability of spider DNA did not differ between assays
and spider and prey DNA remained detectable at least 88 days
after living organisms were no longer present on the web. The
authors suggest that these results may encourage further
studies that could lead to practical applications in conservation
research, pest management, biogeography studies, and
biodiversity assessments. However, further testing of fieldcollected spider webs from more species and habitats is
needed to evaluate the generality of these findings.
Charles Cong Xu says: “Sticky spider webs are natural DNA samplers, trapping nearby insects and other
things blowing in the wind. We see potential for broad environmental monitoring because spiders build
webs in so many places.”
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper:
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142503
Press-only preview: https://www.plos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/pone-10-11-Xu.pdf
Contact: Charles Cong Xu, charles.cong.xu@gmail.com, Ph: +46 072-836 86 01
Citation: Xu CCY, Yen IJ, Bowman D, Turner CR (2015) Spider Web DNA: A New Spin on Noninvasive Genetics
of Predator and Prey. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0142503. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0142503
Image Credit: Scott Camazine
Funding: Funding for this work came from the University of Notre Dame through the laboratory of Dr. David
Lodge to support CCYX’s independent undergraduate research. CRT was supported by NSF IGERT grant
award #0504495 to the GLOBES graduate training program at the University of Notre Dame. The funders had
no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: CRT is currently a scientist in a commercial company, ecoSystem Genetics, which
specializes in genetic and genomic analysis of environmental mixtures for ecosystem monitoring. CRT did
not receive funding from ecoSystem Genetics while this study was conducted. There are no relevant patents,
products in development, or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to
PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
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