Greater than the sum of its parts? The role of mechanical sensitivity and integration in the evolution of power-amplified systems

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Trap-jaw ants are renowned for their extreme ability to amplify power with their mouthparts, which can generate forces hundreds of times greater than their body weight and reach speeds over 60 meters per second (over 130 miles per hour). Moreover, they do this using very simple, fracture resistant materials. The research will combine high-speed videography, biomechanics, and mathematics to characterize and model power-amplification in a diverse group of trap-jaw ants. The findings will provide insight into the mechanisms animals use to achieve extremely high speeds and forces with their limbs and to determine how variation in these high-performance biological systems generates diverse animal forms. The research also has the potential to inform biologically-inspired applications for robotics and machinery. The project will provide interdisciplinary research training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, including those from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. The researchers will also run robotics summer camps for children, exposing students to the many ways insects can be used to provide inspiration for innovations in technology and engineering.The objective of this research is to examine the mechanical sensitivity and integration of power-amplified systems using a combination of experimental data and computer-based biomechanical models. The results of these mechanical analyses will be incorporated into phylogenetic comparative analyses to test whether patterns of mechanical sensitivity influence morphological and ecological diversification. Specifically, the research will take advantage of repeated transitions to power amplification in trap-jaw ants to explore how performance metrics (such as speed, force and energy) respond to shifts in morphology. The power-amplified trap-jaw system is composed of multiple components (i.e. muscle, latch, spring) all of which may be important to several aspects of performance (i.e. speed, force). The specific aims of the project are to 1) evaluate how various performance variables of the trap-jaw system (speed, force, damage resistance) vary with morphological changes in components of the system, 2) test multiple hypotheses for the source of the power-amplifying mechanism in trap-jaw ants, and 3) determine how patterns of biomechanical integration influence evolutionary patterns within and among trap-jaw clades. The interdisciplinary research approach offers a mechanistic framework for evaluating the integration and evolution of biomechanical systems, and how ecological function can influence morphological diversification. The research findings have the potential to provide translational applications for the bio-inspired design of high-performance robotic systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.