Abstract:Numerous studies deal with insect attachment onto surfaces with different roughness; however, little is known about insect attachment onto surfaces that have different chemistry. In the present study, we describe the attachment structures of the water-lily leaf beetle Galerucella nymphaeae and test the hypothesis that the larval and adult stages generate the strongest attachment on surfaces with contact angles that are similar to those of leaves of their host plants. The larvae bear a smooth attachment system … Show more
“…In addition, the results of previous studies on this matter have been fairly heterogeneous. In a recent publication, data from the literature dealing with force measurements of different insects on surfaces with different surface energies were carefully compared [35]. No significant dependence of insect attachment forces on water CAs was shown in the five experiments recorded in the four studies compared.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It is important to note that in all of these studies different species, developmental stages, sexes and experimental designs were used. In some of these studies, insect species that are strongly specialized to host plants whose leaf surfaces have very specific surface energies (water CA about 80°), such as the beetle Galerucella nympheae which lives on the leaf surface of the water lily, the maximum attachment force was detected at the intermediate range of water CAs, approximately corresponding to those of the plant leaves [35]. …”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Additionally, the attachment of the leaf beetle Gastrophysa viridula did not strongly depend on the free energy of the surface of the substrate [34]. More recently, the attachment strength of the beetle Galerucella nymphaeae on surfaces with different surface energies, showing CAs in the range from 6° to 109°, was examined [35]. These beetles, both at their larval and adult stages, showed the highest forces on surfaces with water CAs close to 83° (similar to those of their host plant), while hydrophilic (CAs of 6 and 26°) and hydrophobic (CA of 109°) surfaces caused a reduction of their adhesive ability.…”
SummaryThe attachment ability of ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata was systematically investigated on eight types of surface, each with different chemical and topographical properties. The results of traction force tests clearly demonstrated that chemical surface properties, such as static/dynamic de-wettability of water and oil caused by specific chemical compositions, had no significant effect on the attachment of the beetles. Surface roughness was found to be the dominant factor, strongly affecting the attachment ability of the beetles.
“…In addition, the results of previous studies on this matter have been fairly heterogeneous. In a recent publication, data from the literature dealing with force measurements of different insects on surfaces with different surface energies were carefully compared [35]. No significant dependence of insect attachment forces on water CAs was shown in the five experiments recorded in the four studies compared.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It is important to note that in all of these studies different species, developmental stages, sexes and experimental designs were used. In some of these studies, insect species that are strongly specialized to host plants whose leaf surfaces have very specific surface energies (water CA about 80°), such as the beetle Galerucella nympheae which lives on the leaf surface of the water lily, the maximum attachment force was detected at the intermediate range of water CAs, approximately corresponding to those of the plant leaves [35]. …”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Additionally, the attachment of the leaf beetle Gastrophysa viridula did not strongly depend on the free energy of the surface of the substrate [34]. More recently, the attachment strength of the beetle Galerucella nymphaeae on surfaces with different surface energies, showing CAs in the range from 6° to 109°, was examined [35]. These beetles, both at their larval and adult stages, showed the highest forces on surfaces with water CAs close to 83° (similar to those of their host plant), while hydrophilic (CAs of 6 and 26°) and hydrophobic (CA of 109°) surfaces caused a reduction of their adhesive ability.…”
SummaryThe attachment ability of ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata was systematically investigated on eight types of surface, each with different chemical and topographical properties. The results of traction force tests clearly demonstrated that chemical surface properties, such as static/dynamic de-wettability of water and oil caused by specific chemical compositions, had no significant effect on the attachment of the beetles. Surface roughness was found to be the dominant factor, strongly affecting the attachment ability of the beetles.
“…Consequently, a high diversity of friction and adhesion enhancing structures has evolved among insects [1–2]. Several studies showed that not only the intrinsic structure of an attachment organ determines its function, but also environmental parameters, such as the surface roughness or/and chemistry of the substrate [1,3–9]. Also the ambient temperature and humidity may affect the attachment ability of adhesive organs, as it was shown in the dry adhesive pads of geckoes [10–13] and spiders [14].…”
SummaryMany insects possess adhesive foot pads, which enable them to scale smooth vertical surfaces. The function of these organs may be highly affected by environmental conditions. Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) possess dense tarsal soles of tenent setae, supplemented with an adhesive fluid. We studied the attachment ability of the seven-spotted ladybird beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) at different humidities by horizontal traction experiments. We found that both low (15%) and high (99%) relative humidities lead to a decrease of attachment ability. The significantly highest attachment forces were revealed at 60% humidity. This relationship was found both in female and male beetles, despite of a deviating structure of adhesive setae and a significant difference in forces between sexes. These findings demonstrate that not only dry adhesive setae are affected by ambient humidity, but also setae that stick due to the capillarity of an oily secretion.
Organismal functions are size-dependent whenever body surfaces supply body volumes. Larger organisms can develop strongly folded internal surfaces for enhanced diffusion, but in many cases areas cannot be folded so that their enlargement is constrained by anatomy, presenting a problem for larger animals. Here, we study the allometry of adhesive pad area in 225 climbing animal species, covering more than seven orders of magnitude in weight. Across all taxa, adhesive pad area showed extreme positive allometry and scaled with weight, implying a 200-fold increase of relative pad area from mites to geckos. However, allometric scaling coefficients for pad area systematically decreased with taxonomic level and were close to isometry when evolutionary history was accounted for, indicating that the substantial anatomical changes required to achieve this increase in relative pad area are limited by phylogenetic constraints. Using a comparative phylogenetic approach, we found that the departure from isometry is almost exclusively caused by large differences in size-corrected pad area between arthropods and vertebrates. To mitigate the expected decrease of weight-specific adhesion within closely related taxa where pad area scaled close to isometry, data for several taxa suggest that the pads' adhesive strength increased for larger animals. The combination of adjustments in relative pad area for distantly related taxa and changes in adhesive strength for closely related groups helps explain how climbing with adhesive pads has evolved in animals varying over seven orders of magnitude in body weight. Our results illustrate the size limits of adhesion-based climbing, with profound implications for large-scale bio-inspired adhesives.scaling | adhesion | evolution | bio-inspired adhesives T he evolution of adaptive traits is driven by selective pressures but can be bound by phylogenetic, developmental, and physical constraints (1). Integrating evolution and biomechanics provides a powerful tool to unravel this complex interaction, because physical constraints can often be predicted easily from first principles (2). The influence of physical constraints is especially evident in comparative studies across organisms that differ substantially in size (3-6). For example, Fick's laws of diffusion state that diffusive transport becomes increasingly insufficient over large distances, explaining the development of enlarged surfaces for gas and nutrient exchange (e.g., leaves, roots, lungs, gills, and guts) and integrated long-distance fluid transport systems (e.g., xylem/ phloem and circulatory systems) in larger animals and plants. How these systems change with size is determined by physical constraints (7-9). Although "fractal" surface enlargements are possible without disrupting other body functions, strong positive allometry can conflict with anatomical constraints. For example, structural stability demands that animals should increase the crosssectional area of their bones in proportion to their body weight, but excessively thick leg...
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