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Green PA. Behavior and morphology combine to influence energy dissipation in mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda). J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247063. [PMID: 38722696 PMCID: PMC11128283 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247063] [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] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Animals deliver and withstand physical impacts in diverse behavioral contexts, from competing rams clashing their antlers together to archerfish impacting prey with jets of water. Though the ability of animals to withstand impact has generally been studied by focusing on morphology, behaviors may also influence impact resistance. Mantis shrimp exchange high-force strikes on each other's coiled, armored telsons (tailplates) during contests over territory. Prior work has shown that telson morphology has high impact resistance. I hypothesized that the behavior of coiling the telson also contributes to impact energy dissipation. By measuring impact dynamics from high-speed videos of strikes exchanged during contests between freely moving animals, I found that approximately 20% more impact energy was dissipated by the telson as compared with findings from a prior study that focused solely on morphology. This increase is likely due to behavior: because the telson is lifted off the substrate, the entire body flexes after contact, dissipating more energy than exoskeletal morphology does on its own. While variation in the degree of telson coil did not affect energy dissipation, proportionally more energy was dissipated from higher velocity strikes and from strikes from more massive appendages. Overall, these findings show that analysis of both behavior and morphology is crucial to understanding impact resistance, and suggest future research on the evolution of structure and function under the selective pressure of biological impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. A. Green
- UC Santa Barbara, Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
- Brown University, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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2
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Chua JQI, Christensen TEK, Palle J, Wittig NK, Grünewald TA, Garrevoet J, Spiers KM, Castillo-Michel H, Schramm A, Chien WL, Sobota RM, Birkedal H, Miserez A. Biomineralization of mantis shrimp dactyl club following molting: Apatite formation and brominated organic components. Acta Biomater 2023; 170:479-495. [PMID: 37659728 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The stomatopod Odontodactylus scyllarus uses weaponized club-like appendages to attack its prey. These clubs are made of apatite, chitin, amorphous calcium carbonate, and amorphous calcium phosphate organized in a highly hierarchical structure with multiple regions and layers. We follow the development of the biomineralized club as a function of time using clubs harvested at specific times since molting. The clubs are investigated using a broad suite of techniques to unravel the biomineralization history of the clubs. Nano focus synchrotron x-ray diffraction and x-ray fluorescence experiments reveal that the club structure is more organized with more sub-regions than previously thought. The recently discovered impact surface has crystallites in a different size and orientation than those in the impact region. The crystal unit cell parameters vary to a large degree across individual samples, which indicates a spatial variation in the degree of chemical substitution. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy show that this variation cannot be explained by carbonation and fluoridation of the lattice alone. X-ray fluorescence and mass spectroscopy show that the impact surface is coated with a thin membrane rich in bromine that forms at very initial stages of club formation. Proteomic studies show that a fraction of the club mineralization protein-1 has brominated tyrosine suggesting that bromination of club proteins at the club surface is an integral component of the club design. Taken together, the data unravel the spatio-temporal changes in biomineral structure during club formation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Mantis shrimp hunt using club-like appendages that contain apatite, chitin, amorphous calcium carbonate, and amorphous calcium phosphate ordered in a highly hierarchical structure. To understand the formation process of the club we analyze clubs harvested at specific times since molting thereby constructing a club formation map. By combining several methods ranging from position resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction to proteomics, we reveal that clubs form from an organic membrane with brominated protein and that crystalline apatite phases are present from the very onset of club formation and grow in relative importance over time. This reveals a complex biomineralization process leading to these fascinating biomineralized tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Qing Isaiah Chua
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Jonas Palle
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Nina Kølln Wittig
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Tilman A Grünewald
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Avenue des Martyrs 71, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kathryn M Spiers
- Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hiram Castillo-Michel
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Avenue des Martyrs 71, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Andreas Schramm
- Department of Biology, Section for Microbiology and Center for Electromicrobiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Wang Loo Chien
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Ali Miserez
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, NTU, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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Palecanda S, Steck M, Porter ML. Increasing complexity of opsin expression across stomatopod development. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10121. [PMID: 37250447 PMCID: PMC10220389 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Stomatopods are well studied for their unique visual systems, which can consist of up to 16 different photoreceptor types and 33 opsin proteins expressed in the adults of some species. The light-sensing abilities of larval stomatopods are comparatively less well understood with limited information about the opsin repertoire of these early-life stages. Early work has suggested that larval stomatopods may not possess the extensive light detection abilities found in their adult counterparts. However, recent studies have shown that these larvae may have more complex photosensory systems than previously thought. To examine this idea at the molecular level, we characterized the expression of putative light-absorbing opsins across developmental stages, from embryo to adult, in the stomatopod species Pullosquilla thomassini using transcriptomic methods with a special focus on ecological and physiological transition periods. Opsin expression during the transition from the larval to the adult stage was further characterized in the species Gonodactylaceus falcatus. Opsin transcripts from short, middle, and long wavelength-sensitive clades were found in both species, and analysis of spectral tuning sites suggested differences in absorbance within these clades. This is the first study to document the changes in opsin repertoire across development in stomatopods, providing novel evidence for light detection across the visual spectrum in larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sitara Palecanda
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Mireille Steck
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Megan L. Porter
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
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Divi S, Reynaga C, Azizi E, Bergbreiter S. Adapting small jumping robots to compliant environments. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220778. [PMID: 36854379 PMCID: PMC9974292 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0778] [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] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Jumping animals launch themselves from surfaces that vary widely in compliance from grasses and shrubs to tree branches. However, studies of robotic jumpers have been largely limited to those jumping from rigid substrates. In this paper, we leverage recent work describing how latches in jumping systems can mediate the transition from stored potential energy to kinetic energy. By including a description of the latch in our system model of both the jumper and compliant substrate, we can describe conditions in which a jumper can either lose energy to the substrate or recover energy from the substrate resulting in an improved jump performance. Using our mathematical model, we illustrate how the latch plays a role in the ability of a system to adapt its jump performance to a wide range of substrates that vary in their compliance. Our modelling results are validated using a 4 g jumper with a range of latch designs jumping from substrates with varying mass and compliance. Finally, we demonstrate the jumper recovering energy from a tree branch during take-off, extending these mechanistic findings to robots interacting with a more natural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathvik Divi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Crystal Reynaga
- Department of Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013, USA
| | - Emanuel Azizi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Sarah Bergbreiter
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Harrison JS, Patek SN. Developing elastic mechanisms: ultrafast motion and cavitation emerge at the millimeter scale in juvenile snapping shrimp. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:287686. [PMID: 36854255 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Organisms such as jumping froghopper insects and punching mantis shrimp use spring-based propulsion to achieve fast motion. Studies of elastic mechanisms have primarily focused on fully developed and functional mechanisms in adult organisms. However, the ontogeny and development of these mechanisms can provide important insights into the lower size limits of spring-based propulsion, the ecological or behavioral relevance of ultrafast movement, and the scaling of ultrafast movement. Here, we examined the development of the spring-latch mechanism in the bigclaw snapping shrimp, Alpheus heterochaelis (Alpheidae). Adult snapping shrimp use an enlarged claw to produce high-speed strikes that generate cavitation bubbles. However, until now, it was unclear when the elastic mechanism emerges during development and whether juvenile snapping shrimp can generate cavitation at this size. We reared A. heterochaelis from eggs, through their larval and postlarval stages. Starting 1 month after hatching, the snapping shrimp snapping claw gradually developed a spring-actuated mechanism and began snapping. We used high-speed videography (300,000 frames s-1) to measure juvenile snaps. We discovered that juvenile snapping shrimp generate the highest recorded accelerations (5.8×105±3.3×105 m s-2) for repeated-use, underwater motion and are capable of producing cavitation at the millimeter scale. The angular velocity of snaps did not change as juveniles grew; however, juvenile snapping shrimp with larger claws produced faster linear speeds and generated larger, longer-lasting cavitation bubbles. These findings establish the development of the elastic mechanism and cavitation in snapping shrimp and provide insights into early life-history transitions in spring-actuated mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S N Patek
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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Dinh JP, Patek SN. Weapon performance and contest assessment strategies of the cavitating snaps in snapping shrimp. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason P. Dinh
- Biology Department Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - S. N. Patek
- Biology Department Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
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Cook A, Pandhigunta K, Acevedo MA, Walker A, Didcock RL, Castro JT, O’Neill D, Acharya R, Bhamla MS, Anderson PSL, Ilton M. A Tunable, Simplified Model for Biological Latch Mediated Spring Actuated Systems. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac032. [PMID: 36060863 PMCID: PMC9434652 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We develop a model of latch-mediated spring actuated (LaMSA) systems relevant to comparative biomechanics and bioinspired design. The model contains five components: two motors (muscles), a spring, a latch, and a load mass. One motor loads the spring to store elastic energy and the second motor subsequently removes the latch, which releases the spring and causes movement of the load mass. We develop freely available software to accompany the model, which provides an extensible framework for simulating LaMSA systems. Output from the simulation includes information from the loading and release phases of motion, which can be used to calculate kinematic performance metrics that are important for biomechanical function. In parallel, we simulate a comparable, directly actuated system that uses the same motor and mass combinations as the LaMSA simulations. By rapidly iterating through biologically relevant input parameters to the model, simulated kinematic performance differences between LaMSA and directly actuated systems can be used to explore the evolutionary dynamics of biological LaMSA systems and uncover design principles for bioinspired LaMSA systems. As proof of principle of this concept, we compare a LaMSA simulation to a directly actuated simulation that includes either a Hill-type force-velocity trade-off or muscle activation dynamics, or both. For the biologically-relevant range of parameters explored, we find that the muscle force-velocity trade-off and muscle activation have similar effects on directly actuated performance. Including both of these dynamic muscle properties increases the accelerated mass range where a LaMSA system outperforms a directly actuated one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Cook
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | | | - Mason A Acevedo
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | - Adam Walker
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | | | | | - Declan O’Neill
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | - Raghav Acharya
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
| | - M Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
| | - Philip S L Anderson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
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Knight K. Spring-powered mantis shrimp larvae punch like Ma and Pa. J Exp Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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