They’re also trapping a wealth of DNA from the surrounding environment, a hidden resource that Australian scientists said could be used to track endangered animals and monitor ecosystems.
From airborne DNA collected by the spiderwebs, the researchers were able to detect animals of varying behavior and lifestyle.
Creatures great and smallAt Perth Zoo, species that were detected spanned in size from the pygmy marmoset to the Asian elephant.
The different types of spiderweb collected may also affect the types and quantity of DNA collected, the study noted.
By contrast, the majority of webs collected at Perth Zoo were from the Desidae and Theridiidae families, both with tangled, irregular web arrangements.
Persons:
Joshua Newton, ” Newton, Austracantha, Newton, “, Princess Fiona, That’s, ”, eDNA, Joshua Newton Elizabeth Clare, wasn’t,
Organizations:
CNN —, Perth Zoo, Curtin University’s School, Molecular, Sciences, Copenhagen Zoo, Hamerton, York University
Locations:
Western, Perth, Denmark, United Kingdom, Australian, Ontario, Canada