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标题：Imaging and mechanical characterization of different junctions in spider orb webs
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作者：Gabriele Greco ; Maria F. Pantano ; Barbara Mazzolai 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2019
卷号：9
期号：1
页码：1-6
DOI：10.1038/s41598-019-42070-8
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：Spider silk and spider orb webs are among the most studied biological materials and structures owing to their outstanding mechanical properties. A key feature that contributes significantly to the robustness and capability to absorb high kinetic energy of spider webs is the presence of junctions connecting different silk threads. Surprisingly, in spite of their fundamental function, the mechanics of spider web junctions have never been reported. Herein, through mechanical characterization and imaging, we show for the first time that spider orb webs host two different types of junction, produced by different silk glands, which have different morphology, and load bearing capability. These differences can be explained in view of the different roles they play in the web, i.e. allowing for a localized damage control or anchoring the whole structure to the surrounding environment.