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.

许多生物体使用专门的粘合垫、爪子和类似的特征来实现对基质的可靠且可重复的附着。蚂蚁是热带森林树冠上的主要动物。工蚁没有翅膀，因此有效的粘附对于生存至关重要。该项目将对热带蚂蚁的粘附机制和后果进行首次详细的比较评估。实地工作将在巴拿马和秘鲁的低地森林进行，结果将对全球蚂蚁行为和生态产生广泛影响。该项目在从生态学到机械工程等不同领域工作的五名具有互补技能的专业人员之间建立了正式合作。其成果的范围将是前所未有的；为 100 多个物种收集的数据将为迄今为止任何动物群体的粘合性能和行为提供最全面的评估。该项目还将为开发先进的工业粘合剂提供一个框架，以模仿蚂蚁粘合垫的化学、材料和物理特性。这些粘合剂可用于需要在动态条件下具有牢固但可逆粘合力的医疗和工业应用。该项目的结果将以多媒体形式公开发布。项目参与者将与巴拿马导游协调，向每年访问现场的国际游客展示成果。该项目还将通过针对 K-12 学生及其教师的正式和非正式宣传活动，提高公众对科学的理解。本研究的主要目的是量化热带雨林树冠蚂蚁跗骨粘附的基本物理和化学特性，并将粘附性能与蚂蚁行为和生态联系起来。中心假设是，粘附失效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野外生态学、功能形态学、化学和材料科学的信息，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、营养组和进化枝之间有何不同？ 2) 粘合剂的多功能性（在一系列当地环境条件下的持续功能）是否会影响热带森林冠层中的蚂蚁行为？ 3) 热带树栖蚂蚁的生态模式和粘附失效的后果是什么？这项工作将通过量化广泛的自然和实验条件下的粘合性能，为理解蚂蚁粘合系统的生态形态和进化奠定基础。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。总的来说，该项目将首次对任何分类单元的粘附功能形态进行全面评估，重点是低地热带森林中粘附失效的生态后果。在这项研究期间，PI将为博士后、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向公众宣传蚂蚁粘附的生态学和仿生应用。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。