Project description
Spider fangs are among the most specialised feeding structures in the animal kingdom, functioning as precision tools for prey capture, venom delivery, and defence. Despite their delicate appearance, these structures possess remarkable mechanical strength and wear resistance, achieved through complex cuticular architecture and the incorporation of reinforcing elements such as zinc, manganese, and calcium. Yet while elemental enrichment has been identified in a range of arthropod mouthparts, the broader distribution, functional significance, and evolutionary patterns of these elements in spider fangs remain poorly understood. This project will investigate the elemental composition of spider fangs across a diversity of spider groups using advanced imaging and geochemical techniques such as electron microscopy and elemental mapping. The student (Masters) will compare elemental distributions, fang morphology, and ecological strategies to assess how biomaterial chemistry relates to predation, mechanics, and evolutionary history. Outcomes will provide the first broad comparative assessment of elemental reinforcement in spider fangs, clarify how fang chemistry varies across spider lineages and feeding ecologies, and generate new insights into the evolution of arthropod biomaterials and biological piercing systems.
Note: You need to register interest in projects from different supervisors (not a number of projects with the one supervisor).
You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.