蜘蛛是自然界杰出的工匠,，它們能夠編織晶瑩剔透的網(wǎng),，織網(wǎng)用的蛛絲甚至比人類的頭發(fā)更優(yōu)越。不僅如此,，人們現(xiàn)在發(fā)現(xiàn)蛛形綱動(dòng)物還擅長制造化學(xué)武器,。
研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)，一種名為金色斑絡(luò)新婦的蜘蛛能夠產(chǎn)生一種有毒物質(zhì),，并將其涂抹在蛛絲上,，從而有效地抵擋饑餓的螞蟻。這種蜘蛛在亞洲的熱帶地區(qū)很常見,。
蜘蛛的秘密化學(xué)武器是一種叫做2—吡咯烷酮的化合物,。舞毒蛾的幼蟲也能夠制造并利用這種化合物抵擋前來掠食的螞蟻。研究者們將三種不同類型的螞蟻放在幾個(gè)由蛛絲搭建的“橋”上,，有的蛛絲浸透了2—吡咯烷酮,，有的則沒有。螞蟻拒絕從涂有2—吡咯烷酮的蛛絲上通過,。
這一研究成果發(fā)表在11月22日英國《皇家學(xué)會(huì)學(xué)報(bào)》的網(wǎng)絡(luò)版上,。研究者們認(rèn)為,，蜘蛛分泌的這一化學(xué)物質(zhì)很可能刺激了螞蟻的觸角，從而有效地?fù)踝×宋浵?，保住了自己的食物不被其搶走?/p>
斑絡(luò)新婦為肖峭科絡(luò)新婦屬的動(dòng)物,。分布于新加坡、印尼,、泰國,、菲律賓以及中國海南等地，主要棲息于庭院,、荒地和潮濕的紅樹林,。雄性成蟲身長約1到2厘米。雌性成蟲身長約5厘米,，腹背部有成對的金黃色斑點(diǎn),，尾部有鮮紅色突起。其身體的顏色和花紋會(huì)隨環(huán)境而變化,。
舞毒蛾屬于鱗翅目毒蛾科的歐洲種,，是森林和果樹的一大害蟲。
2—吡咯烷酮為無色或微黃色澄凈液體,，有微氨味,，是一種強(qiáng)極性有機(jī)溶劑。工業(yè)上常用于生產(chǎn)殺蟲劑,。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.017
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A novel property of spider silk: chemical defence against ants
Zhang, Shichang; Koh, Teck Hui; Seah, Wee Khee; Lai, Yee Hing; Elgar, Mark A.; Li, Daiqin
Spider webs are made of silk, the properties of which ensure remarkable efficiency at capturing prey. However, remaining on,or near, the web exposes the resident spiders to many potential predators, such as ants. Surprisingly, ants are rarely reportedforaging on the webs of orb-weaving spiders, despite the formidable capacity of ants to subdue prey and repel enemies, thediversity and abundance of orb-web spiders, and the nutritional value of the web and resident spider. We explain this paradoxby reporting a novel property of the silk produced by the orb-web spider Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer). These spiders deposit on the silk a pyrrolidine alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that provides protection from antinvasion. Furthermore, the ontogenetic change in the production of 2-pyrrolidinone suggests that this compound representsan adaptive response to the threat of natural enemies, rather than a simple by-product of silk synthesis: while 2-pyrrolidinoneoccurs on the silk threads produced by adult and large juvenile spiders, it is absent on threads produced by small juvenilespiders, whose threads are sufficiently thin to be inaccessible to ants.
