Collaborative Research: Functional morphology and ecological implications of ant adhesion in the tropical forest canopy

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Many organisms use specialized adhesive pads, claws, and similar features to achieve reliable and repeatable attachment to substrates. Ants are the dominant animal in the tropical forest canopy. Worker ants do not have wings, thus effective adhesion is essential for survival. This project will provide the first detailed, comparative evaluation of the mechanisms and consequences of adhesion in tropical ants. Field work will be conducted in lowland forests of Panama and Peru, and the results will have broad implications for ant behavior and ecology globally. This project establishes a formal collaboration among five professionals with complementary skillsets working in distinct fields, from ecology to mechanical engineering. The results will be unprecedented in scope; data collected for more than100 species will provide the most comprehensive evaluation of adhesive performance and behavior in any animal group to date. This project will also provide a framework for the development of advanced industrial adhesives that mimic the chemical, material, and physical properties of ant adhesive pads. These adhesives may be used for medical and industrial applications where strong but reversible adhesion in dynamic conditions is required. Results of this project will be made publicly available in multimedia formats. Project participants will coordinate with Panamanian tour guides to present results to international tourists who visit the field site each year. This project will also improve public understanding of science through formal and informal outreach efforts aimed at K-12 students and their teachers. The principal objectives of this study are to quantify the fundamental physical and chemical properties of tarsal adhesion in tropical rainforest canopy ants, and to relate adhesive performance to ant behavior and ecology. The central hypothesis is that adhesive failure determines interspecific differences in ant foraging behavior, local distribution, and frequency of falling. This work will integrate information from field ecology, functional morphology, chemistry, and materials science to answer three basic questions: 1) How do ant adhesive morphology, material properties, and chemistry differ among species, trophic groups, and clades?; 2) Does adhesive versatility (sustained functionality over a range of local environmental conditions) shape ant behavior in the tropical forest canopy?; and 3) What are the ecological patterns and consequences of adhesive failure in tropical arboreal ants? This work will provide the foundation for understanding the ecomorphology and evolution of the ant adhesive system by quantifying adhesive performance under a broad range of natural and experimental conditions. This research employs the latest high-technology chemical, material, and biomechanical analysis methods. As a whole, this project will provide the first comprehensive evaluation of the functional morphology of adhesion in any taxon, with a focus on the ecological consequences of adhesive failure in a lowland tropical forest. During this research, the PIs will provide cross-disciplinary, international education and training for a postdoctoral associate, and undergraduate and graduate students. The results of this work will be used to inform the general public about the ecology and bio-inspired application of ant adhesion.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.