Spiders are useful models for the study of evolution.
Their webs, which in some species combine several kinds of silk having radically different properties, serve as tangible records of their behavior. Spider venoms are diverse, and typically have highly specific effects on the nervous systems of their victims, making venoms useful tools for students of neurophysiology. Spiders were among the first animals to emerge from the sea, and their ancient lineages may preserve biogeographic patterns that reflect the climates, ecology, and geography of the past. I studied Habronattus, a genus of small, graceful jumping spiders with nearly 100 species in North America. This work utilizes data from my fieldwork in North and South America, Eurasia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.