A.I. Recognizes Different Spider Webs

A.I. Recognizes Different Spider Webs

Identifying animal species is the first, crucial step to any form of conversation. But it’s a big job, especially if you’re trying to identify spiders. Spiders occupy nearly every nook and cranny around the world — except for the polar regions — so they are good indicators for an ecosystem’s health. But how to identify them?

Carlos Travieso at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain and his colleagues have devised a computer systems that uses artificial intelligence to recognize webs. Travieso thinks that web construction is species specific. “Cobwebs are made by spiders whose genetics and morphology are all different from those of other species – and so their cobwebs are different, too. It’s as distinctive as handwriting biometrics in humans,” he told New Scientist.

To test that theory, Travieso used pattern-recognition software to analyze images supplied by spider expert William Eberhard of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Costa Rica. The software looked for unique features at a web’s center and then correlated that information with details in the rest of the web. The software achieved a remarkable 99.6 percent accuracy in identifying the species of spider responsible for a web.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/a-i-recognizes-different-spider-webs-130327.htm

When I was a teen I spent a lot of time at the library reading just about anything I could. One book I read was on spiders their site selection for their webs - which was really interesting as it was not something I had ever really given much thought to. Interesting stuff


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0003347277901191

Abstract

The entire behaviour of selection of web-site by Argiope aurantia is briefly described. Data on the following characteristics of the location of webs are provided: height in the vegetation, orientation of lean of web, use of different types of vegetation within a habitat, and abundance of insects at the site. In the laboratory, araneid spiders tested prefer higher light intensity and low humidity. The choice of height by immature A. aurantia is experimentally related to the height at which the spider begins its search for a web-site (point of release in cage), and to the covering of the cage (reduction of wind). Differences of these animals with Argiope trifasclata Forskal and with adult A. aurantia released in cages are reported and related to differential use of microhabitats. The behaviour of selection of website is discussed with regard to availability of prey and to predation pressure, comparisons being made to other groups of animals.