Data from: Decoding the locational information in the orb web vibrations of Araneus diadematus and Zygiella x-notata

A spider's web is a multifunctional structure that captures prey and
provides an information platform that transmits vibrational information.
Many physical factors interact to influence web vibration and information
content, from vibration source properties and input location, to web
physical properties and geometry. The aim of the study was to test whether
orb web vibration contains information about the location of the source of
vibration. We used finite-element analysis model webs to control and vary
major physical factors, investigating webs where spiders use a direct or
remote monitoring strategy. When monitoring with eight sensors (legs) at
the web centre, a comparison of longitudinal and transverse wave amplitude
between the sensors gave sufficient information to determine source
direction and distance, respectively. These localization cues were robust
to changes in source amplitude, input angle and location, with increased
accuracy at lower source amplitudes. When remotely monitoring the web
using a single thread connected to the web's hub (a signal thread),
we found that locational information was not available when the angle of
the source input was unknown. Furthermore, a free sector and a stiff hub
were physical mechanisms to aid information transfer, which provides
insights for bioinspired fibre networks for sensing technologies.