Testing Structure/Function Relationships in an Ecological Context: Integration of Biomechanics, Behavior and Performance during Aerial Predation in Dragonflies

项目名称：在生态环境中测试结构/功能关系：蜻蜓空中捕食过程中生物力学、行为和性能的整合主要研究者：Stacey Anne Combes项目编号：IOS 0952471为了了解自然界中动物体型的多样性，以及特定特征在人造器械中的潜在应用，必须首先澄清一个特定结构与其演变的功能之间的关系。 在动物运动的研究中，这种关系通常是在一个单一的、孤立的功能的背景下进行研究的，这个功能很容易引出和测量，比如以稳定的速度向前运动，而没有任何明确的迹象表明这个功能对野生动物有多重要。 要更全面地了解特定身体结构的作用，可以通过检查它们在复杂、苛刻的运动行为中对表现的影响来获得，这些运动行为已知会影响动物的生存或繁殖成功。 目前的研究将通过对蜻蜓捕食空中猎物的生物力学、行为和性能的综合分析来证明这种方法。 研究将在一个新颖的户外人工栖息地进行，在那里可以从已知的个体中可靠地引出自然捕食行为，并使用高速多摄像机系统拍摄以重建三维身体运动。 这将是第一个探索空中捕食的机械决定因素的项目，空中捕食是飞行动物执行的最具挑战性和复杂的行为之一。 通过一系列的操纵，这项工作将提供一个更好的了解身体的质量分布，机翼的灵活性，和机翼损伤对飞行性能的影响。 此外，该项目还将对几名本科生和高中生进行基本实验和实地技术培训，同时提供关于猎物捕获率和野生蜻蜓在控制蚊子种群方面的有效性的数据。

PROJECT TITLE: Testing structure/function relationships in an ecological context: Integration of biomechanics, behavior and performance during aerial predation in dragonfliesPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Stacey Anne CombesPROJECT NUMBER: IOS 0952471In order to understand the diversity of animal body forms found in nature, as well as the potential application of particular features to man-made devices, it is essential to first clarify the relationship between a given structure and the function(s) for which it has evolved. In studies of animal locomotion, this relationship has typically been examined in the context of a single, isolated function that is easy to elicit and measure, such as forward locomotion at a steady speed, without any clear indication of how important this function is for animals in the wild. A more complete understanding of the role of particular body structures can be gained by examining their effect on performance during complex, demanding locomotory behaviors that are known to affect an animal's survival or reproductive success. The current study will demonstrate this approach through integrated analyses of the biomechanics, behavior and performance of dragonflies hunting aerial prey. Studies will be conducted in a novel, outdoor artificial dragonfly habitat, in which natural predatory behaviors can be elicited reliably from known individuals, and filmed with a high-speed multi-camera system to reconstruct three-dimensional body motions. This will be the first project to explore the mechanical determinants of aerial predation, one of the most challenging and complex behaviors performed by flying animals. Through a series of manipulations, the work will provide a better understanding of the effects of body mass distribution, wing flexibility, and wing damage on flight performance. In addition, the project will train several undergraduate and high school students in basic experimental and field techniques, while providing data on prey capture rates and the effectiveness of wild dragonflies in controlling mosquito populations.