Interface Focus最新文献

Presenting a novel framework for sustainable and regenerative design and development is a fundamental future need. Here we argue that a new framework, referred to as complexity biomechanics, which can be used for holistic analysis and understanding of natural mechanical systems, is key to fulfilling this need. We also present a roadmap for the design and development of intelligent and complex engineering materials, mechanisms, structures, systems, and processes capable of automatic adaptation and self-organization in response to ever-changing environments. We apply complexity biomechanics to elucidate how the different structural components of a complex biological system as dragonfly wings, from ultrastructure of the cuticle, the constituting bio-composite material of the wing, to higher structural levels, collaboratively contribute to the functionality of the entire wing system. This framework not only proposes a paradigm shift in understanding and drawing inspiration from natural systems but also holds potential applications in various domains, including materials science and engineering, biomechanics, biomimetics, bionics, and engineering biology.

Insects have evolved unique structures that host a diversity of material and mechanical properties, and the mouthparts (proboscis) of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are no exception. Here, we examined proboscis morphology and material properties from several previously unstudied moth lineages to determine if they relate to flower visiting and non-flower visiting feeding habits. Scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional imaging were used to study proboscis morphology and assess surface roughness patterns on the galeal surface, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to study patterns of cuticular autofluorescence, which was quantified with colour analysis software. We found that moth proboscises display similar autofluorescent signals and morphological patterns in relation to feeding habits to those previously described for flower and non-flower visiting butterflies. The distal region of proboscises of non-flower visitors is brush-like for augmented capillarity and exhibited blue autofluorescence, indicating the possible presence of resilin and increased flexibility. Flower visitors have smoother proboscises and show red autofluorescence, an indicator of high sclerotization, which is adaptive for floral tube entry. We propose the lepidopteran proboscis as a model structure for understanding how insects have evolved a suite of morphological and material adaptations to overcome the challenges of acquiring fluids from diverse sources.

Radular teeth have to cope with wear, when interacting with ingesta. In some molluscan taxa, wear-coping mechanisms, related to the incorporation of high contents of iron or silica, have been previously determined. For most species, particularly for those which possess radulae without such incorporations, wear-coping mechanisms are understudied. In the present study, we documented and characterized the wear on radular teeth in the model species Loligo vulgaris (Cephalopoda). By applying a range of methods, the elementary composition and mechanical properties of the teeth were described, to gain insight into mechanisms for coping with abrasion. It was found that the tooth regions that are prone to wear are harder and stiffer. Additionally, the surfaces interacting with the ingesta possessed a thin coating with high contents of silicon, probably reducing abrasion. The here presented data may serve as an example of systematic study of radular wear, in order to understand the relationship between the structure of radular teeth and their properties.

Leafcutter ant colonies are divided into castes with the individuals performing different tasks, based mostly on size. With the mandibles, the small minims care for the brood or the fungus, whereas the larger minors and mediae cut and transport plant material, with the ant size positively related to the material size. The mechanical properties and composition of the mandible cuticle have been previously tested in the soldiers as the largest caste, revealing that the cutting edges contained high contents of the cross-linking transition metal zinc (Zn). With regard to the smaller castes, no data are present. To study how the mandible size and function relates to its mechanical properties, we here tested the mandibles of minims, minors and mediae by nanoindentation. We found that the hardness (H) and Young's modulus (E) values increased with increasing ant size and that the mandible cutting edges in each caste have the highest H- and E-values. To gain insight into the origins of these properties, we characterized the elemental composition by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, revealing that minors and mediae possessed higher content of Zn in the cutting edges in contrast to the minims containing significantly less Zn. This shows, that Zn content relates to higher mechanical property values. Additionally, it shows that all of these parameters can differ within a single species.

The arthropod cuticle offers strength, protection, and lightweight. Due to its limit in expandability, arthropods have to moult periodically to grow. While moulting is beneficial in terms of parasite or toxin control, growth and adaptation to environmental conditions, it costs energy and leaves the soft animal's body vulnerable to injuries and desiccation directly after ecdysis. To investigate the temporal change in sclerotization and pigmentation during and after ecdysis, we combined macrophotography, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and histological sectioning. We analysed the tarsal and mandibular cuticle of the blue emperor dragonfly to compare the progress of tanning for structures that are functionally involved during emergence (tarsus/tarsal claws) with structures whose functionality is required much later (mandibles). Our results show that: (i) the tanning of the tarsal and mandibular cuticle increases during emergence; (ii) the tarsal cuticle tans faster than the mandibular cuticle; (iii) the mandibles tan faster on the aboral than on the oral side; and (iv) both the exo- and the endocuticle are tanned. The change in the cuticle composition of the tarsal and mandibular cuticle reflects the demand for higher mechanical stability of these body parts when holding on to the substrate during emergence and during first walking or hunting attempts.

The mandibles of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Forsskål, 1775) are digger-shovel-shaped mouthparts that are part of the locust's exoskeleton formed by the insect cuticle. The cuticle is a polymer–fibre composite, which supports, encases and protects the entire body. Mandibles experience heavy loading and wear due to direct contact with hard and abrasive food, just like teeth, their mineralized analogues in vertebrates. With dual-energy X-ray tomography, we image well-defined regions of zinc (Zn)-enriched cuticle at the mandible cutting edges and quantify the Zn concentrations in these regions. Zn is known to increase stiffness, hardness and wear resistance of the otherwise purely polymeric insect cuticle. In S. gregaria, the position of the Zn-enriched cutting-edge regions relative to one another suggests that the mandibles form a scissor-like cutting tool, which sharpens itself as the mouthparts shear past one another during feeding. Comparing the architecture of these purely polymeric mandibles with the mineralized incisors of rodents, we find fundamental design differences in cutting-tool structure and performance. Locusts' scissors and rodents’ carving knives perform different functions, because they act on food that differs significantly in properties and shape: softer, sheet-like material in the case of locusts and harder bulk material in the case of rodents.

Locust Locusta migratoria exhibits remarkable aerial performances, relying predominantly on its hind wings that generate most of lift and thrust for flight. The mechanical properties of the cross-veins determine the deformation of the hind wing, which greatly affect the aerodynamic performance of flapping flight. However, whether the mechanical behaviours of the locust cross-veins change with loading rate is still unknown. In this study, cross-veins in four physiological regions (anterior–medial, anterior–lateral, posterior–medial and posterior–lateral) of the hind wing from adult locusts were investigated using uniaxial tensile test, stress relaxation test and fluorescence microscopy. It was found that the cross-veins were a type of viscoelastic material (including rate-independent elastic modulus and obvious stress relaxation). The cross-veins in the two anterior regions of the hind wing had significantly higher elastic moduli and higher ultimate tensile stress than those of its two posterior regions. This difference might be attributed to different resilin distribution patterns in the cross-veins. These findings furnish new insights into the mechanical characteristics of the locust cross-veins, which might deepen our understanding of the aerodynamic mechanisms of locust flapping flight.

Animals have evolved diverse comminuting tools. While vertebrates possess mineralized teeth, insect mandibles often bear metal-inclusion-hardened serrated cusps. Microscopic dental enamel wear (microwear) is known to be caused by contact with ingesta. To test if insect mandible microwear is also diet-dependent, we kept newly moulted adult two-spotted crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) for four weeks on alfalfa-based rodent pellets with and without added mineral abrasives (loess, quartz, volcanic ash). Six crickets per diet were examined after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. All diets induced progressive mandible wear, affecting specific locations along the distal tooth cusps differently. The depth of furrows increased on most abrasive-containing diets until day 21, while wear mark complexity increased from day 1 to 3 and 14 to 21. After 28 days, these parameter values for large volcanic ash and large quartz diets significantly exceeded those for the control diet. These results are comparable to observations from guinea pig feeding experiments with the same diets. Cricket mandible wear was affected by all abrasives. Notably, large volcanic ash and large quartz induced the deepest, most complex lesions, akin to observations in guinea pigs. This suggests a universal wear process, supporting that microwear analyses are suitable for inferring invertebrate diets.

Mandible morphology has an essential role in biting performance, but the mandible cuticle can have regional differences in its mechanical properties. The effects of such a heterogeneous distribution of cuticle material properties in the mandible responses to biting loading are still poorly explored in chewing insects. Here, we tested the mechanical properties of mandibles of the ant species Formica cunicularia by nanoindentation and investigated the effects of the cuticular variation in Young's modulus (E) under bite loading with finite-element analysis (FEA). The masticatory margin of the mandible, which interacts with the food, was the hardest and stiffest region. To unravel the origins of the mechanical property gradients, we characterized the elemental composition by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The masticatory margin possessed high proportions of Cu and Zn. When incorporated into the FEA, variation in E effectively changed mandible stress patterns, leading to a relatively higher concentration of stresses in the stiffer mandibular regions and leaving the softer mandible blade with relatively lower stress. Our results demonstrated the relevance of cuticle E heterogeneity in mandibles under bite loading, suggesting that the accumulation of transition metals such as Cu and Zn has a relevant correlation with the mechanical characteristics in F. cunicularia mandibles.

The crustacean cuticle is a biological composite material consisting of chitin–protein fibres in a mineralized matrix. Recent research has revealed a surprising range of fibre architectures and mineral compositions of crustacean skeletal structures adapted to various mechanical demands. It is becoming increasingly clear that the organic fibres in the cuticle may be organized in patterns differing from the standard twisted plywood model. Observed fibre architectures in protruding skeletal structures include longitudinal and circular parallel fibre arrays. Skeletal minerals often include calcium phosphates in addition to calcium carbonates. Furthermore, skeletal properties are affected by protein cross-linking, which replaces mineralization as a stiffening mechanism in some structures. Several common structural motifs, such as the stiffening of the outer skeletal layers, the incorporation of non-mineralized cuticle in exposed structures, and interchanging layers of parallel fibres and the twisted plywood structure, can be identified in skeletal elements with similar functions. These evolutionary solutions have the potential for biomimetic applications, particularly as manufacturing technologies advance. To make use of this potential, we need to understand the processes behind the formation of the crustacean exoskeleton and determine which features are truly adaptive and worth mimicking.