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

许多生物使用专门的黏附垫、爪子和类似的特征来实现可靠和可重复的附着在基质上。蚂蚁是热带森林树冠层中的优势动物。工蚁没有翅膀，因此有效的粘附对生存至关重要。该项目将提供热带蚂蚁粘附机制和后果的第一个详细的比较评估。实地工作将在巴拿马和秘鲁的低地森林进行，其结果将对全球蚂蚁行为和生态学产生广泛的影响。该项目在从生态学到机械工程等不同领域的五名具有互补技能的专业人士之间建立了正式合作。结果将是前所未有的；收集到的100多个物种的数据将提供迄今为止任何动物群体的粘附性能和行为的最全面的评估。该项目还将为先进工业粘合剂的开发提供一个框架，该粘合剂模仿蚂蚁胶垫的化学、材料和物理特性。这些粘合剂可用于医疗和工业应用，在动态条件下需要强大但可逆的附着力。该项目的结果将以多媒体格式公开。项目参与者将与巴拿马导游协调，向每年访问实地的国际游客介绍结果。该项目还将通过针对K-12学生及其教师的正式和非正式的推广工作，提高公众对科学的理解。本研究的主要目的是量化热带雨林冠层蚂蚁跗骨粘附的基本物理和化学特性，并将粘附性能与蚂蚁行为和生态联系起来。核心假设是，粘附失败决定了蚂蚁觅食行为、局部分布和坠落频率的种间差异。这项工作将整合野外生态学、功能形态学、化学和材料科学的信息，回答三个基本问题：1)不同物种、营养类群和进化支的蚂蚁粘附物形态、材料性质和化学是如何不同的？2)粘接的多功能性（在一系列局部环境条件下的持续功能）是否会影响热带森林冠层中蚂蚁的行为？3)热带树栖蚂蚁黏附失败的生态模式和后果是什么？这项工作将通过量化在广泛的自然和实验条件下的粘附性能，为理解蚂蚁粘附系统的生态形态和进化提供基础。这项研究采用了最新的高科技化学、材料和生物力学分析方法。总体而言，该项目将首次对任何分类单元的粘附功能形态进行全面评估，重点关注低地热带森林粘附失败的生态后果。在这项研究中，pi将为博士后、本科生和研究生提供跨学科、国际化的教育和培训。这项工作的结果将用于告知公众蚂蚁粘附的生态学和生物启发应用。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。

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.