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

合作研究：热带森林冠层蚂蚁粘附的功能形态和生态意义

• 批准号: 2015841
• 负责人: Stephen Yanoviak
• 金额: $ 29.96万
• 依托单位: University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2015841&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Functional; morphology; ecological

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.

许多生物使用专门的粘合剂垫，爪子和类似特征来获得可靠且可重复的底物。蚂蚁是热带森林冠层中的主要动物。工人蚂蚁没有翅膀，因此有效的粘附对于生存至关重要。该项目将对热带蚂蚁粘附的机制和后果进行第一个详细的比较评估。现场工作将在巴拿马和秘鲁的低地森林进行，结果在全球范围内将对蚂蚁行为和生态学具有广泛的影响。该项目在五位专业人士之间建立了正式的合作，其互补技能在不同领域（从生态学到机械工程）都在不同领域工作。结果将在范围中前所未有。迄今为止，对100多种物种收集的数据将对任何动物组的粘合性能和行为进行最全面的评估。该项目还将为开发高级工业粘合剂的开发提供一个框架，这些粘合剂模仿蚂蚁粘合剂垫的化学，材料和物理性质。这些粘合剂可用于医疗和工业应用，在动态条件下需要强烈但可逆的粘​​附。该项目的结果将以多媒体格式公开提供。项目参与者将与Panamanian导游协调，以向每年访问现场地点的国际游客呈现结果。该项目还将通过针对K-12学生及其老师的正式和非正式外展工作来提高公众对科学的理解。这项研究的主要目的是量化热带雨林顶篷蚂蚁中骨粘附的基本物理和化学特性，并将粘合剂的性能与蚂蚁的行为和生态学联系起来。中心假设是粘合剂破坏决定了蚂蚁觅食行为，局部分布和跌倒频率的种间差异。这项工作将整合来自现场生态学，功能形态，化学和材料科学的信息，以回答三个基本问题：1）物种，营养群和进化群之间的蚂蚁粘附形态，材料特性和化学之间有何不同？ 2）在热带森林冠层中，粘合性多功能性（在一系列局部环境条件下的持续功能）是否会塑造蚂蚁行为？ 3）热带树木蚂蚁的粘合剂衰竭的生态模式和后果是什么？这项工作将为理解ANT粘合剂系统的生态形态和演变提供基础，通过在广泛的自然和实验条件下量化粘合剂性能。该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，该项目将对任何分类单元中的粘附功能形态进行首次全面评估，重点是低地热带森林中粘合性衰竭的生态后果。在这项研究中，PI将为博士后同学以及本科生和研究生提供跨学科，国际教育和培训。这项工作的结果将用于向公众通报蚂蚁粘附的生态和生物启发的应用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，认为值得通过评估来获得支持。