We are studying the spiders that live in urban gardens
Why spiders?
Love them or hate them, spiders are an important part of a healthy ecosystem. They provide a significant food source for birds, mammals, and other wildlife. They also eat many insects that pester or harm humans. In fact, spiders are estimated to eat 400 to 800 million tons of insects every year!*
*for comparison, humans are estimated to eat about 400 million tons of meat and fish annually. Source: Nyffeler & Birkhofer. 2017. An estimated 400–800 million tons of prey are annually killed by the global spider community. The Science of Nature, 104:30
What do we want to know?
We are interested in how garden plantings influence the abundance and diversity of spiders in residential neighborhoods. We are particularly interested in comparing gardens with mostly native plants to gardens with mostly non-native plants.
This study will focus on orb-weaving spiders, which belong in the Family Araneidae and make fantastic orb-webs that catch all sorts of pesty insects such as mosquitoes and flies. For photos of some spiders we expect to see, click here (web page in progress).
This study will focus on orb-weaving spiders, which belong in the Family Araneidae and make fantastic orb-webs that catch all sorts of pesty insects such as mosquitoes and flies. For photos of some spiders we expect to see, click here (web page in progress).
How to participate?
Participation is easy! We will visit each garden several times during summer 2018 to look for spiders. You do NOT need to be present during our visits.
We would like to talk to each participant briefly about their garden: which plants are growing, how long the garden has been established, and gardening practices. We might also ask participants to fill out a brief survey that asks about their feelings and attitudes toward spiders. This would be completely optional.
We are looking for all kinds of gardens to participate in this study. If you can recommend a friend who might like to participate as well, please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch with us.
We would like to talk to each participant briefly about their garden: which plants are growing, how long the garden has been established, and gardening practices. We might also ask participants to fill out a brief survey that asks about their feelings and attitudes toward spiders. This would be completely optional.
We are looking for all kinds of gardens to participate in this study. If you can recommend a friend who might like to participate as well, please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch with us.