The work of the academic from the University of La Serena, Jaime Pizarro-Araya, was chosen by the prestigious magazine to publish an infographic and an animated video in its May issue, related to the spiders of Robinson Crusoe Island.

Spiders are excellent colonizers of new territories due to their ability to transport themselves through the air, thanks to the fact that they produce strands of silk that are trapped by the air, a behavior known as ballooning (from the English ballon which means to inflate or go in a balloon). ). In fact, we already know today that spiders are able to navigate through the wind and take off from the surface of the water, even during sea turbulence. Spiders also have the ability to slow down their metabolism to withstand periods of starvation, which also allows them to survive and establish themselves in remote habitats.

A recent international collaborative work published in the specialized scientific journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution studied species of spiders that inhabit Robinson Crusoe Island, belonging to the Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park. The work focused specifically on spiders of the genus Philisca (Araneae: Anyphaenidae), which, although endemic to the Valdivian rainforest, have been described in high numbers on the island. The objective of this work was to perform various molecular analyzes to recreate the story of how these spiders managed to colonize and diversify in this habitat.

One of the members of this work, which brought together scientists from Argentina, Brazil and Spain, was the Chilean and entomology expert Jaime Pizarro-Araya, who is an academic at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of La Serena and a researcher at the Ecological Entomology Laboratory. (LEULS). His fieldwork was essential in discovering that these spiders come from a unique lineage that dates back to the origins of Robinson Crusoe Island, but then rapidly diversified. And although everything indicates that in its origins this genus lived among the foliage, the study allowed us to identify two habitat changes during its history on the island, which allowed us to conclude that during its evolution these spiders have undergone adaptations that have allowed them to distribute themselves in the island, with a unique and extremely wild geography.

The academic, who has been doing enormous work in the area of ​​Entomology and Arachnology in northern Chile, and who is currently in charge of the Arthropods group of the First National Inventory of Biodiversity (SIMEF) of Chile, comments that "it is fascinating how which means carrying out studies in places as particular as the Juan Fernández National Park, an island ecosystem that is home to a unique biota”.

After its publication, the impact of this work in the area was such that at the beginning of this year the academic and the rest of the team were contacted by the National Geographic to publish part of this story in the may issue from your magazine. The post resulted in a two-page infographic titled Soaring Spiders, referencing their ability to branch out through the air. As if this were not enough, the magazine also produced a animated video which today has more than 320 views on its YouTube channel and which explains how spiders manage to travel long distances through the air.

The Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of the University, Dr. Amelia Ramírez, points out that “a classic Chilean book tells that Chile is a crazy geography and has a bit of all climates and landscapes. Indeed, our habitats have given Chilean entomologists the joy of dedicating their lives to studying insects, arachnids, exotic aphids, and various other species. One of these scientists is the entomologist Jaime Pizarro, who from our University projects himself to the world for his excellence in the subject”. And he adds that "the recognition for a scientist is given in large congresses, but the recognition of the community is given in the publication of their achievements in an impact communication medium such as Nat Geo. That makes us proud, because the production of knowledge The science that is generated in the ULS gives is the patrimony of all Chileans and must be known”.

Written by Marcela Gatica, Faculty of Sciences