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Brandt EE, Manyama MR, Nirody JA. Kinematics and coordination of moth flies walking on smooth and rough surfaces. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1537:64-73. [PMID: 38922707 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The moth fly, Clogmia albipunctata, is a common synanthropic insect with a worldwide range that lives in nearly any area with moist, decaying organic matter. These habitats comprise both smooth, slippery substrates (e.g., bathroom drains) and heterogeneous, bumpy ground (e.g., soil in plant pots). By using terrain of varying levels of roughness, we focus specifically on how substrate roughness at the approximate size scale of the organism affects kinematics and coordination in adult moth flies. Finally, we compare and contrast our characterizations of locomotion in C. albipunctata with previous work of insect walking in naturalistic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Brandt
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria R Manyama
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jasmine A Nirody
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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2
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Cornejo J, Sierra-Garcia JE, Gomez-Gil FJ, Grados J, Palomares R, Weitzenfeld A. Experimental study and geometrical method to design bio-inspired robotic kinematic chains of inching-locomotion caterpillars. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2024; 19:026001. [PMID: 38176110 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ad1b2c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Inching-locomotion caterpillars (ILAR) show impressive environmental adaptation, having high dexterity and flexibility. To design robots that mimic these abilities, a novel bioinspired robotic design (BIROD) method is presented. The method is composed by an algorithm for geometrical kinematic analysis (GEKINS) to standardize the proportional dimensions according to the insect's anatomy and obtain the kinematic chains. The approach is experimentally applied to analyze the locomotion and kinematic chain of these specimens:Geometridae-two pair of prolegs (represents 35 000 species) andPlusiinae-three pair of prolegs (represents 400 species). The obtained data indicate that the application of the proposed method permits to locate the attachment mechanisms, joints, links, and to calculate angular displacement, angular average velocity, number of degrees of freedom, and thus the kinematic chain.Geometridaein contrast toPlusiinae, shows a longer walk-stride length, a lower number of single-rotational joints in 2D (3 DOF versus 4 DOF), and a lower number of dual-rotational joints in 3D (6 DOF versus 8 DOF). The application of BIROD and GEKINS provides the forward kinematics for 35 400 ILAR species and are expected to be useful as a preliminary phase for the design of bio-inspired arthropod robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Cornejo
- Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Burgos, 09006 Burgos, Spain
| | | | | | - Juan Grados
- Departamento de Entomología, Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. (UNMSM), Av. Arenales 1256, Jesús María, Lima 15072, Peru
| | - Ricardo Palomares
- Professional School of Mechatronics Engineering, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru
| | - Alfredo Weitzenfeld
- Biorobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States of America
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3
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Piñeirua M, Verbe A, Casas J. Substrate-mediated leg interactions play a key role in insect stability on granular slopes. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:014903. [PMID: 37583161 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.014903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion on granular inclines is a subject of high relevance in ecological physics as well as in biomimmetics and robotics. Enhancing stability on granular materials represents a huge challenge due to the fluidization transition when inclination approaches the avalanche angle. Our motivating example is the predator-prey system made of the antlion, its pit, and its prey. Recent studies have demonstrated that stability on granular inclines strongly depends on the pressure exerted on the substrate. In this work we show that for multilegged locomotion, along with pressure, the distance between the leg contacts on the substrate also plays a major role in the determination of the stability threshold. Through a set of model experiments using artificial sliders, we determine a critical distance below which stability is importantly affected by the interactions between the perturbed regions generated by each contact point. A simple model based on the Coulomb method of wedges allows us to estimate a stability criterion based on pressure, interleg distance, and substrate characteristics. Our work suggests that mass to leg-length allometric relationships, as the ones observed in ants, may be an important key in determining the locomotion success of multilegged locomotion on granular inclines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Piñeirua
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais, 37000 Tours, France
| | - Anna Verbe
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais, 37000 Tours, France
| | - Jérôme Casas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais, 37000 Tours, France
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4
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Nirody JA. Flexible locomotion in complex environments: the influence of species, speed and sensory feedback on panarthropod inter-leg coordination. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:297127. [PMID: 36912384 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Panarthropods (a clade containing arthropods, tardigrades and onychophorans) can adeptly move across a wide range of challenging terrains and their ability to do so given their relatively simple nervous systems makes them compelling study organisms. Studies of forward walking on flat terrain excitingly point to key features in inter-leg coordination patterns that seem to be 'universally' shared across panarthropods. However, when movement through more complex, naturalistic terrain is considered, variability in coordination patterns - from the intra-individual to inter-species level - becomes more apparent. This variability is likely to be due to the interplay between sensory feedback and local pattern-generating activity, and depends crucially on species, walking speed and behavioral goal. Here, I gather data from the literature of panarthropod walking coordination on both flat ground and across more complex terrain. This Review aims to emphasize the value of: (1) designing experiments with an eye towards studying organisms in natural environments; (2) thoughtfully integrating results from various experimental techniques, such as neurophysiological and biomechanical studies; and (3) ensuring that data is collected and made available from a wider range of species for future comparative analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine A Nirody
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Miler K, Scharf I. Wind impairs pit trap construction and hunting success in a pit‐building predator. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Miler
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals Polish Academy of Sciences Kraków Poland
- School of Zoology The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
| | - I. Scharf
- School of Zoology The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
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6
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Klokočovnik V, Devetak D. Efficiency of antlion trap design and larval behavior in capture success. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Traps constructed by an animal reduce the amount of energy required to seek prey. The main risk of trap-building predators is the greater uncertainty of encountering prey, owing to their immobility. Sometimes environmental characteristics do not allow them to build efficient traps, resulting in lower capture success. We observed prey escape, capture success, and behavior of two antlion species, Cueta lineosa, a habitat specialist, and Myrmeleon hyalinus, a generalist, building geometrically different traps. The traps of C. lineosa are elaborate and deep, consisting of two inverted cones, while M. hyalinus builds simple inverted cones. Prey escape was observed from traps with antlion larvae present and from artificially constructed traps without antlions. We used a 3D printer to create a replica model of both trap types, pressing the model onto the substrate surface to create a trap. The C. lineosa artificial trap slowed prey escape more effectively than the simpler artificial trap of M. hyalinus. Prey escape time was four times longer for two ant species and three times longer for woodlice from C. lineosa traps. Escape time also decreased with increasing prey length. We also found behavioral differences between these two antlion species. The behavior of M. hyalinus is much more efficient in catching prey than that of C. lineosa. The results indicate that both species are efficient trap-building predators; however, it appears that capture success depends not only on trap design but also on larval behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vesna Klokočovnik
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Dušan Devetak
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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Büsse S, Büscher TH, Heepe L, Gorb SN, Stutz HH. Sand-throwing behaviour in pit-building antlion larvae: insights from finite-element modelling. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210539. [PMID: 34520690 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sandy pitfall traps of antlions are elaborate constructions to capture prey. Antlions exploit the interactions between the particles in their habitat and build a stable trap. This trap is close to the unstable state; prey items will slide towards the centre-where the antlion ambushes-when entering the trap. This is efficient but requires permanent maintenance. According to the present knowledge, antlions throw sand, mainly to cause sandslides towards the centre of the pit. We hypothesized that: (i) sand-throwing causes sandslides towards the centre of the pit and (ii) sand-throwing constantly maintains the pitfall trap and thus keeps its efficiency high. Using laboratory experiments, as well as finite-element analysis, we tested these hypotheses. We show, experimentally and numerically, that sand that accumulates at the centre of the pit will be removed continuously by sand-throwing, this maintenance is leading to slope condition close to an unstable state. This keeps the slope angle steep and the efficiency of the trap constant. Furthermore, the resulting sandslides can relocate the trapped prey towards the centre of the pit. This study adds further insights from specific mechanical properties of a granular medium into the behavioural context of hunting antlion larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Büsse
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thies H Büscher
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lars Heepe
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Hans Henning Stutz
- Department of Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Tross J, Wolf H, Pfeffer SE. Allometry in desert ant locomotion (Cataglyphis albicans and Cataglyphis bicolor) - does body size matter? J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272038. [PMID: 34477873 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Desert ants show a large range of adaptations to their habitats. They can reach extremely high running speeds, for example, to shorten heat stress during foraging trips. It has recently been examined how fast walking speeds are achieved in different desert ant species. It is intriguing in this context that some species exhibit distinct intraspecific size differences. We therefore performed a complete locomotion analysis over the entire size spectrum of the species Cataglyphis bicolor, and we compared this intraspecific dataset with that of the allometrically similar species Cataglyphis albicans. Emphasis was on the allometry of locomotion: we considered the body size of each animal and analysed the data in terms of relative walking speed. Body size was observed to affect walking parameters, gait patterns and phase relationships in terms of absolute walking speed. Unexpectedly, on a relative scale, all ants tended to show the same overall locomotion strategy at low walking speeds, and significant differences occurred only between C. albicans and C. bicolor at high walking speeds. Our analysis revealed that C. bicolor ants use the same overall strategy across all body sizes, with small ants reaching the highest walking speeds (up to 80 body lengths s-1) by increasing their stride length and incorporating aerial phases. By comparison, C. albicans reached high walking speeds mainly by a high synchrony of leg movement, lower swing phase duration and higher stride frequency ranging up to 40 Hz.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Tross
- Institute of Neurobiology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Harald Wolf
- Institute of Neurobiology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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Wöhrl T, Richter A, Guo S, Reinhardt L, Nowotny M, Blickhan R. Comparative analysis of a geometric and an adhesive righting strategy against toppling in inclined hexapedal locomotion. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271172. [PMID: 34342358 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals are known to exhibit different walking behaviors in hilly habitats. For instance, cats, rats, squirrels, tree frogs, desert iguana, stick insects and desert ants were observed to lower their body height when traversing slopes, whereas mound-dwelling iguanas and wood ants tend to maintain constant walking kinematics regardless of the slope. This paper aims to understand and classify these distinct behaviors into two different strategies against toppling for climbing animals by looking into two factors: (i) the torque of the center of gravity (CoG) with respect to the critical tipping axis, and (ii) the torque of the legs, which has the potential to counterbalance the CoG torque. Our comparative locomotion analysis on level locomotion and inclined locomotion exhibited that primarily only one of the proposed two strategies was chosen for each of our sample species, despite the fact that a combined strategy could have reduced the animal's risk of toppling over even more. We found that Cataglyphis desert ants (species Cataglyphis fortis) maintained their upright posture primarily through the adjustment of their CoG torque (geometric strategy), and Formica wood ants (species Formica rufa), controlled their posture primarily by exerting leg torques (adhesive strategy). We further provide hints that the geometric strategy employed by Cataglyphis could increase the risk of slipping on slopes as the leg-impulse substrate angle of Cataglyphis hindlegs was lower than that of Formica hindlegs. In contrast, the adhesion strategy employed by Formica front legs not only decreased the risk of toppling but also explained the steeper leg-impulse substrate angle of Formica hindlegs which should relate to more bending of the tarsal structures and therefore to more microscopic contact points, potentially reducing the risk of hindleg slipping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Wöhrl
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Motion Science, Friedrich Schiller University, 07749 Jena, Germany
| | - Adrian Richter
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Shihui Guo
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 Fujian Province, China
| | - Lars Reinhardt
- Motion Science, Friedrich Schiller University, 07749 Jena, Germany
| | - Manuela Nowotny
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
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Devetak D, Podlesnik J, Scharf I, Klenovšek T. Fine sand particles enable antlions to build pitfall traps with advanced three-dimensional geometry. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb224626. [PMID: 32561631 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pit-building antlion larvae are predators that construct pitfall traps in fine sand. We used three-dimensional laser scanning and geometric morphometrics to reveal the shape of antlion pits of two antlion species, analysed the particle size composition of sands from the different natural habitats, and measured the slope angles of the pits of the two species. In most antlions, the pits are structured as a simple inverted cone, as in Myrmeleon hyalinus, studied here. The other antlion studied, Cueta lineosa, constructs a unique pit composed of two inverted truncated cones inserted into one another, which feature substantially steeper walls than the pits of any other antlion studied to date. Pit stability depends on the slope inclination, which oscillates between the maximum angle of stability and the angle of repose. The angles in C. linosa substrates were larger than those in M. hyalinus substrates. One reason for the steeper walls is the greater proportion of fine sand in the natural sand inhabited by C. lineosa However, video-recording revealed that both the natural sand of C. lineosa and the finest sand tested had a higher maximum angle of stability than any of the other substrates studied here. Furthermore, experiments with pits built in different substrates revealed that the shape of the pit is variable and depends on the structure of the sand. Myrmeleonhyalinus displayed a more flexible pit construction behaviour than C. lineosa The present demonstration of such differences in pit characteristics contributes to understanding how these two species co-exist in the same habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dušan Devetak
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jan Podlesnik
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Inon Scharf
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tina Klenovšek
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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Clifton GT, Holway D, Gravish N. Uneven substrates constrain walking speed in ants through modulation of stride frequency more than stride length. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192068. [PMID: 32269814 PMCID: PMC7137955 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Natural terrain is rarely flat. Substrate irregularities challenge walking animals to maintain stability, yet we lack quantitative assessments of walking performance and limb kinematics on naturally uneven ground. We measured how continually uneven 3D-printed substrates influence walking performance of Argentine ants by measuring walking speeds of workers from laboratory colonies and by testing colony-wide substrate preference in field experiments. Tracking limb motion in over 8000 videos, we used statistical models that associate walking speed with limb kinematic parameters to compare movement over flat versus uneven ground of controlled dimensions. We found that uneven substrates reduced preferred and peak walking speeds by up to 42% and that ants actively avoided uneven terrain in the field. Observed speed reductions were modulated primarily by shifts in stride frequency instead of stride length (flat R 2: 0.91 versus 0.50), a pattern consistent across flat and uneven substrates. Mixed effect modelling revealed that walking speeds on uneven substrates were accurately predicted based on flat walking data for over 89% of strides. Those strides that were not well modelled primarily involved limb perturbations, including missteps, active foot repositioning and slipping. Together these findings relate kinematic mechanisms underlying walking performance on uneven terrain to ecologically relevant measures under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. T. Clifton
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - D. Holway
- Division of Biological Science, Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - N. Gravish
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, USA
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