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.
Maggie Raboin, Ph.D.
maggie.raboin at berkeley.edu
Environmental Science Policy and Management
University of California, Berkeley
140 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94709
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.