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

许多生物体使用专门的粘合垫、爪和类似特征来实现与基底的可靠和可重复的附着。蚂蚁是热带森林树冠层的主要动物。工蚁没有翅膀，因此有效的粘附对于生存至关重要。该项目将首次对热带蚂蚁的粘附机制和后果进行详细的比较评估。野外工作将在巴拿马和秘鲁的低地森林中进行，其结果将对全球蚂蚁行为和生态学产生广泛的影响。该项目建立了五名专业人士之间的正式合作，他们在不同领域（从生态学到机械工程）具有互补的技能。结果将是前所未有的范围;收集的数据超过100个物种将提供最全面的评估粘合剂的性能和行为在任何动物群体的日期。该项目还将为开发先进的工业粘合剂提供一个框架，这些粘合剂模仿蚂蚁粘合垫的化学，材料和物理特性。这些粘合剂可用于医疗和工业应用，其中需要在动态条件下的强但可逆的粘合。该项目的成果将以多媒体形式公布。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成果。该项目还将通过针对K-12学生及其教师的正式和非正式外联工作，提高公众对科学的理解。本研究的主要目的是量化的基本物理和化学性质的跗粘附在热带雨林冠层蚂蚁，并与蚂蚁的行为和生态的粘合性能。中心假设是，粘附失败决定种间差异蚂蚁觅食行为，局部分布，和频率下降。这项工作将整合来自野外生态学、功能形态学、化学和材料科学的信息，以回答三个基本问题：1）蚂蚁粘附形态、材料特性和化学在物种、营养组和分支之间有何不同？2)胶粘剂的多功能性（在一系列局部环境条件下的持续功能性）是否影响了蚂蚁在热带森林冠层中的行为？3）热带树栖蚂蚁粘附失败的生态模式和后果是什么？这项工作将提供基础，了解生态形态学和蚂蚁粘附系统的演变，通过量化粘合剂的性能在广泛的自然和实验条件下。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。作为一个整体，这个项目将提供第一个全面的评价功能形态的粘附在任何分类，重点是生态后果的粘附失败的低地热带森林。在这项研究期间，PI将为博士后助理，本科生和研究生提供跨学科的国际教育和培训。这项工作的结果将用于告知公众关于蚂蚁粘附的生态和生物启发应用。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。

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.