Comparative Biomechanics of Hawk Moths with Minute to Giant Proboscises and Diverse Feeding Habits

具有微小到巨大喙和不同摄食习性的天蛾的生物力学比较

• 批准号: 2042937
• 负责人: Konstantin Kornev
• 金额: $ 80.78万
• 依托单位: Clemson University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-06-01 至 2025-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2042937&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Comparative; Biomechanics; Hawk; Moths; Minute

Among the most popular insects are the hawk moths, well known for their remarkably long proboscises and ability to feed from flowers with extraordinarily long nectar tubes containing nectar of variable viscosity, from watery to sticky. To understand the wide-ranging abilities of these moths to acquire fluid from long and short nectar tubes, a diverse team of researchers will investigate the structure, function, and biomechanics of the proboscis and its associated sucking pump. The team will focus on how wettability of the proboscis and it ability to take up fluid enable the many species of hawk moths to feed on a wide range of liquid resources and from flowers with different nectar-tube lengths. By coupling structural and functional characteristics of the proboscises with principles of biology and fluid dynamics, the team will provide insights into the diversification of hawk moths and their coevolution with the different species of flowering plants from which they acquire nectar and, in turn, pollinate. The results will provide strategies for novel bio-inspired engineering designs and products, such as new microfluidic probes. The resulting tools, techniques, and theories will be mutually beneficial for biological and engineering sciences and will involve integrated biological and engineering education of a new generation of scientists and teachers. In addition, the researchers will participate in public outreach activities related to the project, and students will lead citizen-science activities that provide hawk moth specimens for study and share results on a student-created webpage.This project focuses on how proboscis structure in hawk moths relates to biomechanics of feeding and explores the evolutionary forces responsible for miniaturization and gigantism of the proboscis. More than 1460 species of hawk moths have evolved to exploit diverse fluid resources. Their proboscis ranges in length from a fraction of body length to more than twice body length, allowing hawk moths to feed from many species of flowering plants. The morphological structure of the tubular proboscis facilitates passive, spontaneous fluid uptake. The principal hypothesis is that structural variations of the proboscis and sucking pump provide physical determinants for diverse fluid-flow scenarios that enable hawk moths to use many liquid resources of different viscosities. Coupling morphology and wetting and transport properties of proboscises with biomechanics and energetics of fluid uptake will provide physical clues to the evolution and diversification of hawk moths. The objectives are to investigate (1) proboscis structure in relation to wettability, (2) influence of permeability and proboscis geometry on fluid uptake, (3) sucking-pump morphology as a basis for fluid-mechanics modeling, and (4) evolution of physico-chemical traits and the constraints imposed by physical determinants of fluid flow. The research is based on unique materials characterization technology and high-speed microscopy of live moths, supported by theoretical modeling. The team will include diverse talent and perspectives from all academic levels. Researchers will network with amateur lepidopterists to study hawk moths from around the country. Inspiration and skills exchanged between biologists and engineers will generate new techniques and approaches impacting biology, physics, and engineering.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.

最受欢迎的昆虫是天蛾，以其非常长的喙和从花朵中取食的能力而闻名，这些花朵具有非常长的花蜜管，其中含有不同粘度的花蜜，从水状到粘性。为了了解这些蛾从长短花蜜管中获取液体的广泛能力，一个不同的研究小组将研究长鼻及其相关抽吸泵的结构，功能和生物力学。该团队将专注于喙的润湿性及其吸收液体的能力如何使许多种类的天蛾能够以各种液体资源和不同蜜管长度的花朵为食。通过将长鼻的结构和功能特征与生物学和流体动力学原理相结合，该团队将深入了解天蛾的多样性及其与不同种类的开花植物的共同进化，从这些植物中获得花蜜，进而授粉。研究结果将为新型生物启发工程设计和产品提供策略，例如新的微流体探针。由此产生的工具，技术和理论将是互惠互利的生物和工程科学，并将涉及新一代科学家和教师的综合生物和工程教育。此外，研究人员还将参加与项目相关的公众推广活动，学生们将领导公民科学活动，提供鹰蛾标本供研究，并在学生创建的网页上分享成果。该项目重点关注鹰蛾的喙结构如何与进食的生物力学相关，并探索负责喙小型化和非对称性的进化力量。超过1460种天蛾已经进化到利用各种流体资源。它们的喙的长度从体长的几分之一到两倍多不等，使天蛾能够从许多种开花植物中取食。管状喙的形态结构有利于被动、自发的液体摄取。主要的假设是，结构变化的喙和抽吸泵提供了不同的流体流动的情况下，使天蛾使用许多不同粘度的液体资源的物理决定因素。耦合形态和润湿和运输性能的长鼻与流体吸收的生物力学和能量学将提供物理线索的进化和多样化的天蛾。目的是调查（1）与润湿性有关的长鼻结构，（2）渗透率和长鼻几何形状对流体吸收的影响，（3）作为流体力学建模基础的抽吸泵形态，以及（4）物理化学特征的演变和流体流动的物理决定因素所施加的约束。该研究基于独特的材料表征技术和活蛾的高速显微镜，并得到理论建模的支持。该团队将包括来自各个学术层次的不同人才和观点。研究人员将与业余鳞翅目昆虫学家建立网络，研究来自全国各地的天蛾。生物学家和工程师之间交流的灵感和技能将产生影响生物学、物理学和工程学的新技术和方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Insect antennae: Coupling blood pressure with cuticle deformation to control movement

• DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.05.044
• 发表时间: 2022-07-01
• 期刊: ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
• 影响因子: 9.7
• 作者: Donley, Griffin;Sun, Yueming;Kornev, Konstantin G.
• 通讯作者: Kornev, Konstantin G.

Does the contact angle hysteresis control the droplet shapes on cylindrical fibers?

接触角滞后是否控制圆柱形纤维上的液滴形状？

• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131435
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
• 作者: Sun, Yueming;Kornev, Konstantin G.
• 通讯作者: Kornev, Konstantin G.

Haemolymph viscosity in hawkmoths and its implications for hovering flight

天蛾的血淋巴粘度及其对悬停飞行的影响

• DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2185
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• 作者: Brasovs, Artis;Palaoro, Alexandre V.;Aprelev, Pavel;Beard, Charles E.;Adler, Peter H.;Kornev, Konstantin G.
• 通讯作者: Kornev, Konstantin G.

Dip coating of cylinders with Newtonian fluids

用牛顿流体对气缸进行浸涂

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.08.181
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
• 影响因子: 9.9
• 作者: Zhang, Zhao;Salamatin, Arthur;Peng, Fei;Kornev, Konstantin G
• 通讯作者: Kornev, Konstantin G