Deconstructing the Mason Spider’s Mound

With immense effort, mason spiders construct elaborate mounds over many hours. Mounds protect their eggs from predation and parasitoids, but only for a few days. What conditions lead to the evolution of this unique behavior? We traveled to the shadow of Wyoming’s Tetons to answer this question and more.
Explore Research

Maggie Raboin, Ph.D.

maggie.raboin at berkeley.edu

Environmental Science Policy and Management

University of California, Berkeley

140 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94709

About Maggie

Video of mason spider courtesy of S. J. Karikó, PhD and filmed with support from Canon USA.

All photographs and videos by Maggie Raboin unless specified.