Caption
Feeding spiders before sociality tests. Spiders are generally solitary, but go through a temporary social period during their juvenile phase, which then ceases during the dispersion phase. Research scientists are trying to identify the fundamental mechanisms that favour the emergence of cooperation between individuals leading to the formation of lasting societies. To do this, they compare the behaviour of spiders found locally and in French Guiana, examining in particular how the availability of food influences their interactions. The presence of food may affect the duration of the juvenile social phase.
