Raindrops push and splash flying insects

Dickerson, Andrew K.; Shankles, Peter G.; Hu, David L.

doi:10.1063/1.4865819

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The previous models do not consider fluid flows and interfacial dynamics of a thin film, which play a crucial role in our rapidly spreading drop. It is known that the exposure to rain can lower the body temperature of birds (34) and destabilize flying insects (35). The decrease in the drop-contact time limits the heat and momentum transfer onto organisms (4-6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How a raindrop gets shattered on biological surfaces

Kim

Esmaili

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Many biological surfaces of animals and plants (e.g., bird feathers, insect wings, plant leaves, etc.) are superhydrophobic with rough surfaces at different length scales. Previous studies have focused on a simple drop-bouncing behavior on biological surfaces with low-speed impacts. However, we observed that an impacting drop at high speeds exhibits more complicated dynamics with unexpected shock-like patterns: Hundreds of shock-like waves are formed on the spreading drop, and the drop is then abruptly fragmented along with multiple nucleating holes. Such drop dynamics result in the rapid retraction of the spreading drop and thereby a more than twofold decrease in contact time. Our results may shed light on potential biological advantages of hypothermia risk reduction for endothermic animals and spore spreading enhancement for fungi via wave-induced drop fragmentation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How a raindrop gets shattered on biological surfaces

Kim

Esmaili

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Moreover, large insects can continue flying in light rain (Drake et al 1981). The mechanisms by which precipitation affects the flight of insects and birds are not well understood, and most of our knowledge regarding these mechanisms is based on laboratory studies (Webb and King 1984, Ortega-Jimenez and Dudley 2012, Dickerson et al 2014. The effects of fog and low clouds on in-flight behavior of migrating animals are poorly studied.…”

Section: Atmospheric Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental effects on flying migrants revealed by radar

et al. 2019

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Migratory animals are affected by various factors during their journeys, and the study of animal movement by radars has been instrumental in revealing key influences of the environment on flying migrants. Radars enable the simultaneous tracking of many individuals of almost all sizes within the radar range during day and night, and under low visibility conditions. We review how atmospheric conditions, geographic features and human development affect the behavior of migrating insects and birds as recorded by radars. We focus on flight initiation and termination, as well as in‐flight behavior that includes changes in animal flight direction, speed and altitude. We have identified several similarities and differences in the behavioral responses of aerial migrants including an overlooked similarity in the use of thermal updrafts by very small (e.g. aphids) and very large (e.g. vultures) migrants. We propose that many aerial migrants modulate their migratory flights in relation to the interaction between atmospheric conditions and geographic features. For example, aerial migrants that encounter crosswind may terminate their flight or continue their migration and may also drift or compensate for lateral displacement depending on their position (over land, near the coast or over sea). We propose several promising directions for future research, including the development and application of algorithms for tracking insects, bats and large aggregations of animals using weather radars. Additionally, an important contribution will be the spatial expansion of aeroecological radar studies to Africa, most of Asia and South America where no such studies have been undertaken. Quantifying the role of migrants in ecosystems and specifically estimating the number of departing birds from stopover sites using low‐elevation radar scans is important for quantifying migrant–habitat relationships. This information, together with estimates of population demographics and migrant abundance, can help resolve the long‐term dynamics of migrant populations facing large‐scale environmental changes.

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“…Additionally, insects that traverse across air/water interfaces need superhydrophobic legs to achieve this feat. Similarly, in atmospheric environments, flying insects need to protect their wings from water, dust, and other pollutants so as not to be overloaded, and in order to preserve their ability to fly [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. When thinking about this myriad of design challenges, the question is, how did these insects manage to control their wettability for these varied environments?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of Goliathus orientalis (Moser, 1909) Elytra Nanostructurations and Their Impact on Wettability

Godeau

Orange

et al. 2018

Biomimetics

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Abstract:Among the different species of flower beetles, there is one of particular notoriety: the Goliath beetle. This large insect can grow up to 11 cm long and is well-known for its distinctive black and white shield. In this paper, we focus on a particular Goliathus species: G. orientalis (Moser, 1909). We investigated the variations in properties of both the black and white parts of the upper face of G. orientalis; more precisely, the variation in surface properties with respect to the wettability of these two parts. This work reveals that the white parts of the shield have a higher hydrophobic character when compared to the black regions. While the black parts are slightly hydrophobic (θ = 91 ± 5 • ) and relatively smooth, the white parts are highly hydrophobic (θ = 130 ± 3 • ) with strong water adhesion (parahydrophobic); similar to the behavior observed for rose petals. Roughness and morphology analyses revealed significant differences between the two parts, and, hence, may explain the change in wettability. The white surfaces are covered with horizontally aligned nanohairs. Interestingly, vertically aligned microhairs are also present on the white surface. Furthermore, the surfaces of the microhairs are not smooth, they contain nanogrooves that are qualitatively similar to those observed in cactus spines. The nanogrooves may have an extremely important function regarding water harvesting, as they preferentially direct the migration of water droplets; this process could be mimicked in the future to capture and guide a large volume of water.

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Raindrops push and splash flying insects

Cited by 38 publications

References 47 publications

How a raindrop gets shattered on biological surfaces

How a raindrop gets shattered on biological surfaces

Environmental effects on flying migrants revealed by radar

Variation of Goliathus orientalis (Moser, 1909) Elytra Nanostructurations and Their Impact on Wettability

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