When Professor Wayne Maddison, a University of British Columbia researcher, was invited to participate in a biodiversity survey in far away Papua New Guinea, he thought a dream might finally come true.
The largest developing country in the South Pacific region, Papua New Guinea has more than five percent of the world’s biodiversity in less than one percent of the it’s total land area.
It is home to a range of unique species, including the focus of Maddison’s research, the jumping spider.
“Few researchers have spent time in the jungles in this area collecting, and I thought there was a good chance I would see some spiders no scientist had ever seen before,” said Maddison, a professor of zoology and botany and director of UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
The largest developing country in the South Pacific region, Papua New Guinea has more than five percent of the world’s biodiversity in less than one percent of the it’s total land area.
It is home to a range of unique species, including the focus of Maddison’s research, the jumping spider.
“Few researchers have spent time in the jungles in this area collecting, and I thought there was a good chance I would see some spiders no scientist had ever seen before,” said Maddison, a professor of zoology and botany and director of UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
Last year, as part of a Conservation International team that included scientists who study mammals, birds, plants and amphibians, Maddison was dropped by helicopter into the remote Kaijende Uplands, one of Papua New Guinea’s largest undeveloped areas.
There, his dream indeed came true; he discovered dozens of species of jumping spiders that are totally new to science.
Jumping spiders are found in every part of the world except Antarctica. Capable of jumping 30 times their body length, some of the 5,000 documented species are common in households. They come in many shapes and sizes, with some resembling ants or beetles.
“Instead of sitting at the centre of a web, jumping spiders found a new way to make a living by wandering around their habitat and pouncing like cats on their prey,” Maddison said.
Two of the jumping spiders’ eight eyes have evolved to become large and are equipped with high-resolution vision to spot prey. Female jumping spiders also use this heightened visual sense to watch males, who show off their colourful bodies during courtship dances.
Maddison collected more than 500 individual spiders during the trip and preliminary studies indicate as many as 130 species, including 30 to 50 that have not been previously identified, may have been found.
The CI team also identified two new plants, three frogs and a gecko that are believed to be new to science. Maddison says the smaller animals, such as insects and spiders, as well as plants may hold the secret to many of the world’s unknown chemicals.
“Spider venom has evolved for millions of years to affect the neurological systems of the spider’s insect prey, and each species of spider gives us another opportunity to find medically useful chemicals. Jumping spiders with their remarkably miniaturized yet acute eyes could help us understand how to push the limits of vision,” he said.
“There is a whole lot of beauty in these small spiders if we look closely. More than anything else, it’s an amazingly beautiful world and we’re simply trying to reveal it.”
Maddison will be speaking about his experience on the expedition during an April 16 public lecture hosted by the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
Two of the jumping spiders’ eight eyes have evolved to become large and are equipped with high-resolution vision to spot prey. Female jumping spiders also use this heightened visual sense to watch males, who show off their colourful bodies during courtship dances.
Maddison collected more than 500 individual spiders during the trip and preliminary studies indicate as many as 130 species, including 30 to 50 that have not been previously identified, may have been found.
The CI team also identified two new plants, three frogs and a gecko that are believed to be new to science. Maddison says the smaller animals, such as insects and spiders, as well as plants may hold the secret to many of the world’s unknown chemicals.
“Spider venom has evolved for millions of years to affect the neurological systems of the spider’s insect prey, and each species of spider gives us another opportunity to find medically useful chemicals. Jumping spiders with their remarkably miniaturized yet acute eyes could help us understand how to push the limits of vision,” he said.
“There is a whole lot of beauty in these small spiders if we look closely. More than anything else, it’s an amazingly beautiful world and we’re simply trying to reveal it.”
Maddison will be speaking about his experience on the expedition during an April 16 public lecture hosted by the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
