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

最受欢迎的昆虫之一是鹰蛾，它们以其非常长的鼻子和以花朵为食的能力而闻名，这些花蜜管非常长，含有从水到粘的可变粘度的花蜜。为了了解这些蛾从长短的花蜜管中获取液体的广泛能力，一个不同的研究团队将研究鼻子及其相关吸盘的结构、功能和生物力学。该团队将重点研究鼻子的润湿性和它吸收液体的能力如何使许多种类的鹰蛾能够以各种液体资源和不同花蜜管长度的花朵为食。通过将喙的结构和功能特征与生物学和流体动力学原理相结合，该团队将深入了解鹰蛾的多样性及其与不同种类的开花植物的共同进化，这些植物从不同种类的开花植物中获取花蜜，进而授粉。这一结果将为新的生物启发工程设计和产品提供策略，例如新型微流控探针。由此产生的工具、技术和理论将对生物科学和工程科学互惠互利，并将涉及新一代科学家和教师的生物和工程综合教育。此外，研究人员将参与与该项目相关的公共推广活动，学生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结果。该项目重点研究鹰蛾的喙结构如何与进食的生物力学有关，并探索导致鹰蛾小型化和巨型的进化力。超过1460种鹰蛾已经进化，以开发不同的流体资源。它们的喙的长度从身体的一小部分到两倍多，使鹰蛾可以从许多种类的开花植物中摄取食物。管状喙的形态结构有助于被动、自发地摄取液体。基本假设是，鼻子和吸力泵的结构变化为不同的流体流动场景提供了物理决定因素，使鹰蛾能够使用许多不同粘度的液体资源。将喙的形态、润湿和运输特性与流体吸收的生物力学和能量学相结合，将为鹰蛾的进化和多样化提供物理线索。其目的是研究(1)鼻子结构与润湿性的关系，(2)渗透率和鼻子几何形状对流体吸收的影响，(3)作为流体力学模拟的基础的吸力泵的形态，以及(4)物理化学性质的演变和流体流动的物理决定因素施加的约束。这项研究以独特的材料表征技术和活蛾的高速显微镜为基础，以理论建模为支撑。该团队将包括来自各个学术层面的不同人才和观点。研究人员将与业余鳞翅目昆虫建立网络，研究来自全国各地的鹰蛾。生物学家和工程师之间的灵感和技能交流将产生影响生物学、物理学和工程学的新技术和新方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.