By Matt Kaplan
ScienceNOW Daily News
19 November 2007 Argiope spiders are the Picassos of the arachnid world, weaving exquisite zigzag and spiral patterns into their webs. And like any masterpiece, the designs draw a crowd. A new study reveals that insects and other prey prefer the stylish silk to more humdrum netting, but that predators, too, are more likely to pay a visit.

Scientists have been trying to decipher the purpose of patterned Argiope webs since they were first spotted in 1889. Some have suggested that the designs lure prey or deter predators, whereas others have argued that they function as a sort of detour sign that prevents birds from flying into the webs. But evidence for these theories has been lacking.

So biologists Ren-Chung Cheng and I-Min Tso of Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan, set up shop at a forest edge meadow in the country's Nantou County. The researchers installed cameras in front of various webs and collected more than 700 hours of video over a 2-month period. Their target was Argiope aemula, commonly known as the St. Andrew's cross spider because of the white "X" it weaves. The team filmed 56 webs with decorations and 59 without them.

The disparity had significant consequences. Decorated webs intercepted 60%26#37; more insects than the nondecorated ones did, the researchers report in the November/December issue of Behavioral Ecology. But the patterns also increased the risk of predation. Of the 18 recorded wasp attacks, two-thirds were against spiders with patterned webs. "This suggests that decorations are acting as a lure, drawing the attention of both prey and predators," says Tso, who notes that the increased risk of predation may explain why not all Argiope aemula spiders decorate. Such tradeoffs have been observed in other species--chorus frogs, for example, chirp loudly at night to attract mates, yet the calls also lure garter snakes--but this appears to be the first example of the phenomenon in a structure an animal builds.

As to why creatures find the Argiope webs so alluring, entomologist En-Cheng Yang of the National Taiwan University in Taipei notes that many insects such as honey bees have an innate preference for symmetric patterns. "It is very likely that the shape of the St. Andrew's cross gives a strong visual stimulus to insect predators and prey, but further neuroethological study is needed to clarify this mystery," he says.

1. Too good to be true? "The very key thing: If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is," McDowd said. These e-mails are often phishing scams, where the link connects to a site that downloads some type of malicious software onto the computer without the user knowing.
2. Look for professionalism Misspellings and typos in e-mails are a dead giveaway. Also, when visiting an online store, look for a privacy policy. Any legitimate e-commerce site will have one.
3. Check for signs of encryption In the site's URL, look for "shttp" or "https," which indicates that the purchase is secured or encrypted. Encryption scrambles your credit-card number and other data that you submit to guard against a hacker intercepting it en route. The closed padlock in the browser's status bar is also a sign of encryption.
4. It's cyberspace, not outer space %26#150; Earth rules apply
McDowd warns that online criminals are becoming more sophisticated, increasingly including logos and other graphics in their e-mails that convince recipients that the sender is legitimate. However, no legitimate organization will ask consumers to update their information online, he said. Just as you wouldn't give out your Social Security number to someone who calls your house claiming to be from a credit bureau, don't respond to e-mails asking for personal or account information.
5. Consider the sender
One cunning scam that McDowd said is on the rise involves online greeting cards. Just as with other phishing scams, an e-greeting message will have a link for users to click that might take them to a site where they will be exposed to malware. The commonsense rule is harder to apply here, because an e-mail simply alerting recipients that someone has sent them an e-card from American Greetings seems innocuous enough, unlike the too-good-to-be-true offers from faux retailers. The best defense is to not click the link unless the e-card comes from someone you know.
6. Fine-tuning
Now is a good time to tune up the junk mail settings in your e-mail to filter out messages from known spammers and phishers. And don't forget your operating system. Make sure it's updated and enable automatic updates to receive the latest security updates. And finally, use a credit card to make purchases rather than a check card. Consumer loss is generally more limited with credit cards if the account is used to make fraudulent purchases.

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