RII Track-4:NSF: Ultrafast Gripping and Release Mechanisms in Slingshot Spider Legs

飞蛾虫，也被称为弹弓蜘蛛（SS），是一种迷人的小型蛛形纲动物，大约有针头大小，它们利用三维锥形的网作为超快的弹弓来捕捉飞虫。弹弓蜘蛛是为数不多的几种已知的能够主动使用一种工具（网）来加速的蛛形纲动物之一，其速度比猎豹快10倍。它们的腿和爪子可以承受比体重大100倍的力，并且可以在不到一毫秒的时间内启动弹弓运动。研究弹弓蜘蛛腿和爪子的解剖结构将使我们能够确定小型快速反应机械系统的关键设计元素。通过Symone Alexander博士和她在奥本大学化学工程系的研究团队，以及dr。史密森学会国家自然历史博物馆（NMNH）的汉娜·伍德和乔纳森·科丁顿将使用工程和生物学方法来识别、分类和连接不同物种的弹弓蜘蛛的独特特征。通过这项工作，我们将开发和实施尖端的建模和成像技术，以创造处理和分析微妙或敏感材料的新技术，所有这些都受到党卫军及其独特的猎物捕获策略的启发。这项研究基础设施改善轨道4 EPSCoR研究人员项目将为奥本大学的一名助理教授提供奖学金，并为一名研究生提供培训。该项目将与史密森学会国家自然历史博物馆（NMNH）的研究人员合作进行。这项工作的目标是：(1)利用微型计算机断层扫描（micro-CT）识别腿段形态，使SS能够在较长时间内承受大拉力；(2)利用micro-CT识别使SS能够高速抓取/释放丝的爪形；(3)比较使用弹弓运动和不使用弹弓运动的密切相关的兽顶体虫物种，以了解捕获猎物的锁定形态的进化。该项目将把这些发现与高速视频数据结合起来，以提供对SS猎物捕获的多尺度、机制理解。宿主网站，NMNH，提供了一个独特的机会，比较形态学密切相关的物种。该项目将通过加速获得蜘蛛形态学和生物力学方面的必要交叉专业知识，显著推进SS的加载和释放机制的探索。这项工作还将通过揭示承受高张力和快速响应环境刺激所需的形态学来推进基础知识。探索SS腿的形态，特别是研究较少的近端关节，将有助于确定一种轻量化、小规模的生物力学系统，该系统能够承受亚毫秒级响应时间的大载荷，从而启发新的微机械系统和响应驱动器的设计。对爪形态的研究将揭示超快夹紧技术的设计参数，该技术可以产生高摩擦力而不会损坏脆弱的材料。此外，比较不同种类的形态将有助于鉴定新种，扩大NMNH集合，并为SS超快速猎物捕获的进化提供新的见解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Theridiosomatids, also known as Slingshot Spiders (SS), are a fascinating family of tiny arachnids, about the size of a pinhead, that utilize 3-D cone-shaped webs as ultrafast slingshots to capture flying insects. Slingshot spiders are among the very few arachnids known to actively employ a tool (the web) to accelerate 10 times faster than a cheetah. Their legs and claws can withstand forces 100 times greater than their body weight and can initiate the slingshot motion in less than a millisecond. Investigating the anatomy of slingshot spider legs and claws will enable us to identify key design elements for small-scale, rapid-response mechanical systems. Through collaboration between Dr. Symone Alexander and her research team in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, and Drs. Hannah Wood and Jonathan Coddington at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), engineering and biological approaches will be used to identify, catalog, and connect unique features of slingshot spiders across species. Through this work, we will develop and implement cutting-edge modeling and imaging techniques to create new technology for handling and analyzing delicate or sensitive materials, all inspired by the SS and its unique prey capture strategy.This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-4 EPSCoR Research Fellows project will provide a fellowship to an Assistant Professor and training for a graduate student at Auburn University. The project will be conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The goals of this work are to: (1) Utilize micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to identify leg segment morphologies that enable SS to withstand large tensile forces over extended timeframes; (2) Use micro-CT to identify claw morphologies that enable SS to grip/release silk at high speeds; and (3) Compare closely related theridiosomatid species that do and do not use the slingshot motion to understand the evolution of latching morphologies for prey capture. The project will couple these findings with high-speed video data to provide a multiscale, mechanistic understanding of SS prey capture. The host site, NMNH, provides a unique opportunity to compare morphologies of closely related species. The project will significantly advance the exploration of load and release mechanisms of SS by expediting the acquisition of essential cross-cutting expertise in spider morphology and biomechanics. This work will also advance fundamental knowledge by revealing the morphologies necessary to withstand high tension forces and rapidly respond to environmental stimuli. Exploring SS leg morphology, especially the less-studied proximal joints, will lead to the identification of a lightweight, small-scale biomechanical system capable of withstanding large loads with sub-millisecond response times, inspiring the design of new micromechanical systems and responsive actuators. The investigation of claw morphology will uncover design parameters for ultrafast gripping technology that can generate high frictional forces without damaging delicate materials. Additionally, comparative morphology across theridiosomatid species will aid in identifying new species, expanding NMNH collections, and providing new insights into the evolution of SS ultrafast prey capture.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.