To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Artificial legs Insects.
Journal articles on the topic 'Artificial legs Insects'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 20 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Artificial legs Insects.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Marquina, Daniel, Mateusz Buczek, Fredrik Ronquist, and Piotr Łukasik. "The effect of ethanol concentration on the morphological and molecular preservation of insects for biodiversity studies." PeerJ 9 (February 12, 2021): e10799. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10799.
Full textAbstract:
Traditionally, insects collected for scientific purposes have been dried and pinned, or preserved in 70% ethanol. Both methods preserve taxonomically informative exoskeletal structures well but are suboptimal for preserving DNA for molecular biology. Highly concentrated ethanol (95–100%), preferred as a DNA preservative, has generally been assumed to make specimens brittle and prone to breaking. However, systematic studies on the correlation between ethanol concentration and specimen preservation are lacking. Here, we tested how preservative ethanol concentration in combination with different sample handling regimes affect the integrity of seven insect species representing four orders, and differing substantially in the level of sclerotization. After preservation and treatments (various levels of disturbance), we counted the number of appendages (legs, wings, antennae, or heads) that each specimen had lost. Additionally, we assessed the preservation of DNA after long-term storage by comparing the ratio of PCR amplicon copy numbers to an added artificial standard. We found that high ethanol concentrations indeed induce brittleness in insects. However, the magnitude and nature of the effect varied strikingly among species. In general, ethanol concentrations at or above 90% made the insects more brittle, but for species with robust, thicker exoskeletons, this did not translate to an increased loss of appendages. Neither freezing the samples nor drying the insects after immersion in ethanol had a negative effect on the retention of appendages. However, the morphology of the insects was severely damaged if they were allowed to dry. We also found that DNA preserves less well at lower ethanol concentrations when stored at room temperature for an extended period. However, the magnitude of the effect varies among species; the concentrations at which the number of COI amplicon copies relative to the standard was significantly decreased compared to 95% ethanol ranged from 90% to as low as 50%. While higher ethanol concentrations positively affect long-term DNA preservation, there is a clear trade-off between preserving insects for morphological examination and genetic analysis. The optimal ethanol concentration for the latter is detrimental for the former, and vice versa. These trade-offs need to be considered in large insect biodiversity surveys and other projects aiming to combine molecular work with traditional morphology-based characterization of collected specimens.
2
Ghasemi, Aida, Jalal Sendi, and Mohammad Ghadamyari. "Physiological and Biochemical Effect of Pyriproxyfen on Indian Meal Moth Plodia Interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)." Journal of Plant Protection Research 50, no. 4 (December 1, 2010): 416–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10045-010-0070-9.
Full textAbstract:
Physiological and Biochemical Effect of Pyriproxyfen on Indian Meal MothPlodia Interpunctella(Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)Insect growth regulators generally have a selective effect on the target insects and have practically no apparent side effect on non-target organisms especially vertebrates. Hence, insect growth regulators could be a suitable choice to control pests in stored products. Ten-day-old larvae of Indian meal mothPlodia interpunctella(Hübner) were expressed to the juvenile hormone analogue pyriproxyfen in order to have an effect on growth, metamorphosis, reproduction, lipid and protein contents of ovaries. The larvae were treated by 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.16, and 0.3 ppm of JHA in an artificial diet where controls received acetone alone. The results indicated significant differences in duration of growth, mean longevity of hatched adults, percentage of emerged normal adults, abnormal pupae, hatched larvae and mean oviposition ratein addition to the lipid and protein of ovaries compared to the controls. An inhibition concentration of fifty (IF50) for prevention of emerging adults was recorded 0.134 ppm. Pyriproxyfen caused significant defects in the legs and wings of some adults and sever morphological changes in the ovaries of emerged adults. The results showed that pyriproxyfen may be applied as an insecticide to decrease the damage caused by Indian meal moth on stored products. Pyriproxyfen can be used with low side effects to humans.
3
Durr, V. "Stereotypic leg searching movements in the stick insect: kinematic analysis, behavioural context and simulation." Journal of Experimental Biology 204, no. 9 (May 1, 2001): 1589–604. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.204.9.1589.
Full textAbstract:
Insects are capable of efficient locomotion in a spatially complex environment, such as walking on a forest floor or climbing in a bush. One behavioural mechanism underlying such adaptability is the searching movement that occurs after loss of ground contact. Here, the kinematic sequence of leg searching movements of the stick insect Carausius morosus is analysed. Searching movements are shown to be stereotypic rhythmic movement sequences consisting of several loops. The typical loop structure allows the mean tarsus trajectory to be calculated using a feature-based averaging procedure. Thus, it is possible to describe the common underlying structure of this movement pattern. Phase relationships between joint angles, analysed for searching front legs, indicate a central role for the thorax-coxa joint in searching movements. Accordingly, the stereotyped loop structure of searching differs between front-, middle- and hindlegs, with leg-specific patterns being caused by differing protraction/retraction movements in the thorax-coxa joint. A simple artificial neural network that had originally been devised to generate simple swing movements allows two essential features of empirical searching trajectories to be simulated: (i) cyclic movements and (ii) the smooth transition into a search trajectory as a non-terminated swing movement. It is possible to generate several loops of a middle-leg search, but the precise size and shape of the loops fall short of a real-life approximation. Incorporation of front-leg retraction or hind-leg protraction during searching will also require an extension to the current model. Finally, front-leg searching occurs simultaneously with antennal movements. Also, because leg searching movements are a local behaviour, the legs remaining on the ground continue their stance phase, causing a forward shift of the body, including the searching leg. As a result of this shift, the centre of the searched space is close to the anterior extreme position of the tarsus during walking, representing the location of most likely ground contact according to past experience. Therefore, the behavioural relevance of searching movements arises from the combined actions of several limbs.
4
van Grunsven, Roy H. A., Julia Becker, Stephanie Peter, Stefan Heller, and Franz Hölker. "Long-Term Comparison of Attraction of Flying Insects to Streetlights after the Transition from Traditional Light Sources to Light-Emitting Diodes in Urban and Peri-Urban Settings." Sustainability 11, no. 22 (November 6, 2019): 6198. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11226198.
Full textAbstract:
Among the different light sources used for street lighting, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are likely to dominate the world market in the coming years. At the same time, the spectral composition of nocturnal illumination is changing. Europe and many other areas worldwide have implemented bans on energy-inefficient lamps, such as the still very common mercury vapor lamps. However, the impact of artificial light on insects is mostly tested with light-traps or flight-intercept traps that are used for short periods only. By comparing the numbers of insects attracted by street lamps before and after replacing mercury vapor light sources (MV) with light emitting diodes, we assessed the impact in more typical (urban and peri-urban) settings over several years. We found that LED attracted approximately half of the number of insects compared to MV lights. Furthermore, most insect groups are less drawn by LED than by MV, while Hymenoptera are less attracted by MV than by LED. Thus, the composition of the attracted communities differed between the light sources, which may impact ecosystem processes and functions. In green peri-urban settings more insects are attracted than in an urban setting, but the relative difference between the light sources is the same.
5
Cruse, Hoik, Jeffrey Dean, Thomas Kindermann, Josef Schmitz, and Michael Schumm. "Simulation of Complex Movements Using Artificial Neural Networks." Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C 53, no. 7-8 (August 1, 1998): 628–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/znc-1998-7-816.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract A simulated network for controlling a six-legged, insect-like walking system is proposed. The network contains internal recurrent connections, but important recurrent connections utilize the loop through the environment. This approach leads to a subnet for controlling the three joints of a leg during its swing which is arguably the simplest possible solution. The task for the stance subnet appears more difficult because the movements of a larger and varying number of joints (9 -18: three for each leg in stance) have to be controlled such that each leg contributes efficiently to support and propulsion and legs do not work at cross purposes. Already inherently non-linear, this task is further complicated by four factors: 1) the combination of legs in stance varies continuously, 2) during curve walking, legs must move at different speeds, 3) on compliant substrates, the speed of the individual leg may vary unpredictably, and 4) the geometry of the system may vary through growth and injury or due to non-rigid suspension of the joints. This task appears to require some kind of “motor intelligence”. We show that an extremely decentralized, simple controller, based on a combination of negative and positive feedback at the joint level, copes with all these problems by exploiting the physical properties of the system.
6
Zhang, Jihong, Huyin Li, Maorong Liu, Huan Zhang, Hai Sun, Hongtuo Wang, Lin Miao, Miaomiao Li, Ruihao Shu, and Qilian Qin. "A Greenhouse Test to Explore and Evaluate Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Insect Traps in the Monitoring and Control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum." Insects 11, no. 2 (February 1, 2020): 94. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects11020094.
Full textAbstract:
Population control of small sucking insects has been challenging, and alternative control methods are constantly being sought. Visual traps have long been used to monitor and control pests. Colored sticky cards are widely used for diurnal pests, but their effects are influenced by environmental light conditions. Artificial light traps are mostly used for nocturnal pests. Here, we explored and evaluated light-emitting diode (LED) traps for the monitoring and control of small diurnal sucking insects using greenhouse tests targeting the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum. We tested the trapping efficacy of the LED water pan trap, assessed the most attractive LED light and analyzed its efficacy under different weather conditions. The results showed that the LED water pan trap was too inefficient to be useful. Green LEDs were more attractive than yellow LEDs, UV LEDs and green-UV combinations. Regardless of sunny or cloudy conditions, the green LED trap caught more than twice the number of whiteflies than the yellow sticky card alone under summer shading conditions. Our study suggests that LED traps have a significant field application value in whitefly mass trapping and may also be efficient for other diurnal insects. The design of LED traps specific for diurnal insects is discussed.
7
Cruse, Holk, Volker Dürr, and Josef Schmitz. "Insect walking is based on a decentralized architecture revealing a simple and robust controller." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 365, no. 1850 (November 17, 2006): 221–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1913.
Full textAbstract:
Control of walking in rugged terrain requires one to incorporate different issues, such as the mechanical properties of legs and muscles, the neuronal control structures for the single leg, the mechanics and neuronal control structures for the coordination between legs, as well as central decisions that are based on external information and on internal states. Walking in predictable environments and fast running, to a large degree, rely on muscle mechanics. Conversely, slow walking in unpredictable terrain, e.g. climbing in rugged structures, has to rely on neuronal systems that monitor and intelligently react to specific properties of the environment. An arthropod model system that shows the latter abilities is the stick insect, based on which this review will be focused. An insect, when moving its six legs, has to control 18 joints, three per leg, and therefore has to control 18 degrees of freedom (d.f.). As the body position in space is determined by 6 d.f. only, there are 12 d.f. open to be selected. Therefore, a fundamental problem is as to how these extra d.f. are controlled. Based mainly on behavioural experiments and simulation studies, but also including neurophysiological results, the following control structures have been revealed. Legs act as basically independent systems. The quasi-rhythmic movement of the individual leg can be described to result from a structure that exploits mechanical coupling of the legs via the ground and the body. Furthermore, neuronally mediated influences act locally between neighbouring legs, leading to the emergence of insect-type gaits. The underlying controller can be described as a free gait controller. Cooperation of the legs being in stance mode is assumed to be based on mechanical coupling plus local positive feedback controllers. These controllers, acting on individual leg joints, transform a passive displacement of a joint into an active movement, generating synergistic assistance reflexes in all mechanically coupled joints. This architecture is summarized in the form of the artificial neural network, Walknet , that is heavily dependent on sensory feedback at the proprioceptive level. Exteroceptive feedback is exploited for global decisions, such as the walking direction and velocity.
8
Boyes, Douglas H., Darren M. Evans, Richard Fox, Mark S. Parsons, and Michael J. O. Pocock. "Street lighting has detrimental impacts on local insect populations." Science Advances 7, no. 35 (August 2021): eabi8322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abi8322.
Full textAbstract:
Reported declines in insect populations have sparked global concern, with artificial light at night (ALAN) identified as a potential contributing factor. Despite strong evidence that lighting disrupts a range of insect behaviors, the empirical evidence that ALAN diminishes wild insect abundance is limited. Using a matched-pairs design, we found that street lighting strongly reduced moth caterpillar abundance compared with unlit sites (47% reduction in hedgerows and 33% reduction in grass margins) and affected caterpillar development. A separate experiment in habitats with no history of lighting revealed that ALAN disrupted the feeding behavior of nocturnal caterpillars. Negative impacts were more pronounced under white light-emitting diode (LED) street lights compared to conventional yellow sodium lamps. This indicates that ALAN and the ongoing shift toward white LEDs (i.e., narrow- to broad-spectrum lighting) will have substantial consequences for insect populations and ecosystem processes.
9
Van Nieukerken, Erik J., and Anders N. Nilsson. "The third-instar larva of the water beetle Coelambus nigrolineatus (Steven) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)." Insect Systematics & Evolution 16, no. 1 (1985): 1–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/187631285x00018.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe third-instar Iarva of Coelambus nigrolineatus (Steven, 1808) (= C. lautus (Schaum, 1843)) is described from material collected in artificial dune-lakes in the Netherlands. The larva is characterized by legs with swimming hairs and long urogomphi with numerous secondary setae. In these characters it resembles the larva of C. confluens (Fabricius), from which it can be separated on the narrower frontal projection of the head and the relatively shorter hindclaws.
10
Nurindah, G. H. Walter, and R. L. Tiongson. "Larval diet affects number of femoral ‘brush’ scales in maleHelicoverpa punctigeramoths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)." Bulletin of Entomological Research 91, no. 5 (October 2001): 355–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/ber2001118.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractMales ofHelicoverpa punctigera(Wallengren) show considerable variation in the number of femoral scales on the prothoracic legs. Such intraspecific variation in adult morphology could indicate the presence of undetected sibling species, or it may be related to larval diet.Helicoverpa punctigerais polyphagous, and different host plant species are likely to represent diets of different quality. Femoral lengths and the numbers of femoral scales on the prothoracic legs were therefore determined from: (i) individuals that had been collected as larvae from various host in the field; and (ii) individuals that had been laboratory-reared, in split-family tests, on different diets, namely cotton, lucerne, sowthistle and artificial diet. Host plant species (and therefore presumably diet quality) influenced femoral length ofH. punctigeramales perhaps in conjunction with this, the number of femoral scales on the fore leg. The rearing experiment indicated, in addition, that the effect of host plant quality varies with larval stage, and that the pattern of this variation across the immature stages is dependent on host plant species. recorded variation in the morphology of field-collectedH. punctigeramales is therefore most readily explained as a consequence of different individuals developing (at least for most of their larval life) on different host plant species, with diet quality varying significantly species. The relevance of these results for insect developmental studies and evolutionary interpretations of host relationships is outlined.
11
Mohamed-Ahmed, M. M., and S. Mihok. "Alighting of Tabanidae and muscids on natural and simulated hosts in the Sudan." Bulletin of Entomological Research 99, no. 6 (February 10, 2009): 561–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007485309006580.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractAlighting of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) and non-biting muscids (Diptera: Muscidae) was studied at Khartoum, Sudan, using black cylindrical models mimicking a goat, calf and cow. Flies were intercepted by attaching electrocution grids or clear adhesive film to models. Alighting sites and defensive behaviour were also documented on hosts through observation. Female Tabanus sufis (Jennicke), T. taeniola (Palisot) and Atylotus agrestis (Wiedemann) were the main tabanids captured. Muscids landed in equal numbers on all sizes of models. They had a strong preference for the upper portions of both models and hosts. Landings of T. taeniola and A. agrestis increased with model size, but not so for T. sufis. T. taeniola and A. agrestis scarcely alighted on the legs of models whereas 60–78% of T. sufis did so. Landings of T. sufis on artificial legs did not vary with model size. Landings of all tabanids on the lower and upper portions of a model increased with model size. For both hosts and models, most tabanids (88–98%) alighted on the lower half and legs. Most muscids (63–89%) alighted on the upper half. Landing of tabanids on the cow was 34.9 and 69.3 times greater than that on the calf and goat, respectively. These results are discussed in relation to strategies for the control of blood-sucking flies associated with farm animals using either insecticide-treated live baits or their mimics.
12
Kukalová-Peck, Jarmila, and Carsten Brauckmann. "Most Paleozoic Protorthoptera are ancestral hemipteroids: major wing braces as clues to a new phylogeny of Neoptera (Insecta)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 70, no. 12 (December 1, 1992): 2452–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z92-330.
Full textAbstract:
The enigmatic and artificial Protorthoptera is the largest Paleozoic order of Neoptera. Typical hemipteroid head characters (inflated clypeus, styletal mouthparts) are here reported for "Protorthoptera" fossils and linked with the basic venational braces of hemipteroid wings. The "order" is recognized as being mostly composed of extremely primitive hemipteroids. Two new Late Carboniferous gerarid wings are described: Osnogerarus trecwithiensis n.gen., n.sp. from the Westphalian D of Osnabrück, Germany, and Cantabrala gandli n.gen., n.sp. from the Lower Stephanian (Cantabrian) of the Cantabrian Mountains, northwestern Spain. Several ground-plan characters of hemipteroids are described: head with visible segmentation; polyramous thoracic legs bearing exites and with trochanter not fused to prefemur; ovipositor with cutting ridges; the medial wing vein is shown as not the complete media (= M), but only the media posterior (= MP); the arculus is diagnosed as a cross-vein turned into an important brace; two radial sectors (RA and RP) originate separately from the radial basivenale; and the anal brace is formed by AA1. The hemipteroid stem-assemblage comprised (i) the gerarid line (extinct) with a long MP–CuA fusion replacing the arculus (derived) and with a repeatedly forked CuP (primitive), and (ii) the paoliid line with an arculus (a convex mp–cua cross-vein) (primitive) and a simple CuP (derived). The paoliids are the probable ancestors of modern hemipteroids. The Hemiptera (Sternorrhycha + Auchenorrhyncha + Coleorrhyncha + Heteroptera) lost the ScA + vein to a V-shaped notch or a flexion line (synapomorphy). Geraridae, Paleozoic and Recent Insecta, and all Arthropoda have demonstrably polyramous legs in the ground plan. Use of the taxon "Uniramia" is erroneous in every aspect. A new method using major venational braces is offered to define the wings of all higher neopteran taxa and to resolve the uncertain relationships between some modern orders. Polyneoptera (plecopteroids + orthopteroids + blattoids) is a polyphyletic taxon, and should be abandoned. Blattoids are not directly related to orthopteroids, but are the sister-group of hemipteroids + endopterygotes. An updated basic phylogenetic scheme of Neoptera proposed here comprises the following clades: (Pleconeoptera (Orthoneoptera (Blattoneoptera (Hemineoptera + Endoneoptera)))).
13
Delcomyn, Fred, Mark E. Nelson, and Jan H. Cocatre-Zilgien. "Sense Organs of Insect Legs and the Selection of Sensors for Agile Walking Robots." International Journal of Robotics Research 15, no. 2 (April 1996): 113–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/027836499601500201.
Full text
14
Stewart, J. E., S. Halik, and D. R. Bergdahl. "Viability of Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum Conidia on Exoskeletons of Three Coleopteran Species." Plant Disease 88, no. 10 (October 2004): 1085–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis.2004.88.10.1085.
Full textAbstract:
Butternut canker, caused by Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum, is the primary cause of decline of butternut (Juglans cinerea). Conidia of the fungus have been isolated from several insect species. The vector potential of three species of Coleoptera, Astylopsis macula, Eubulus parochus, and Glischrochilus sanguinolentus, was studied during 2001 and 2002. Beetles were collected, rinsed, and artificially inoculated with conidia. All three species carried viable conidia up to 16 days. The mean number of conidia carried per beetle in 2001 was as follows: 3.21 million at 0 h to 11,371 at 384 h for A. macula; 3.91 million at 0 h to 57 at 384 h for E. parochus; and 355,742 at 0 h to 314 at 384 h for G. sanguinolentus. In 2002, the numbers were: 1.42 million at 0 h to 2,814 at 384 h for A. macula; 1.29 million at 0 h to 85 at 384 h for E. parochus; and 72,342 at 0 h to 0 at 192 h for G. sanguinolentus. Using scanning electron microscopy, conidia were observed on the abdomen, thorax, and legs of artificially inoculated individuals of each species and on the thorax and abdomen of field-collected A. macula and E. parochus. These data suggest that all three species are potential vectors of S. clavigignenti-juglandacearum; however, A. macula and E. parochus may be more effective vectors.
15
Longcore, Travis, Hannah L. Aldern, John F. Eggers, Steve Flores, Lesly Franco, Eric Hirshfield-Yamanishi, Laina N. Petrinec, Wilson A. Yan, and André M. Barroso. "Tuning the white light spectrum of light emitting diode lamps to reduce attraction of nocturnal arthropods." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 370, no. 1667 (May 5, 2015): 20140125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0125.
Full textAbstract:
Artificial lighting allows humans to be active at night, but has many unintended consequences, including interference with ecological processes, disruption of circadian rhythms and increased exposure to insect vectors of diseases. Although ultraviolet and blue light are usually most attractive to arthropods, degree of attraction varies among orders. With a focus on future indoor lighting applications, we manipulated the spectrum of white lamps to investigate the influence of spectral composition on number of arthropods attracted. We compared numbers of arthropods captured at three customizable light-emitting diode (LED) lamps (3510, 2704 and 2728 K), two commercial LED lamps (2700 K), two commercial compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs; 2700 K) and a control. We configured the three custom LEDs to minimize invertebrate attraction based on published attraction curves for honeybees and moths. Lamps were placed with pan traps at an urban and two rural study sites in Los Angeles, California. For all invertebrate orders combined, our custom LED configurations were less attractive than the commercial LED lamps or CFLs of similar colour temperatures. Thus, adjusting spectral composition of white light to minimize attracting nocturnal arthropods is feasible; not all lights with the same colour temperature are equally attractive to arthropods.
16
West, John B. "Robert Hooke: Early Respiratory Physiologist, Polymath, and Mechanical Genius." Physiology 29, no. 4 (July 2014): 222–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00005.2014.
Full textAbstract:
Robert Hooke (1635–1703) was a polymath who made important contributions to respiratory physiology and many other scientific areas. With Robert Boyle, he constructed the first air pump that allowed measurements on small animals at a reduced atmospheric pressure, and this started the discipline of high-altitude physiology. He also built the first human low-pressure chamber and described his experiences when the pressure was reduced to the equivalent of an altitude of ∼2,400 m. Using artificial ventilation in an animal preparation, he demonstrated that movement of the lung was not essential for life. His book Micrographia describing early studies with a microscope remains a classic. He produced an exquisite drawing of the head of a fly, showing the elaborate compound eye. There is also a detailed drawing of a flea, and Hooke noted how the long, many-jointed legs enable the insect to jump so high. For 40 years, he was the curator of experiments for the newly founded Royal Society in London and contributed greatly to its intellectual ferment. His mechanical inventions covered an enormous range, including the watch spring, the wheel barometer, and the universal joint. Following the Great Fire of London in 1666, he designed many of the new buildings in conjunction with Christopher Wren. Unfortunately, Hooke had an abrasive personality, which was partly responsible for a lack of recognition of his work for many years. However, during the last 25 years, there has been renewed interest, and he is now recognized as a brilliant scientist and innovator.
17
Tang, Twen Poh, and David L. Macmillan. "The Effects of Sensory Manipulation upon Interlimb Coordination during Fast Walking in the Cockroach." Journal of Experimental Biology 125, no. 1 (September 1, 1986): 107–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.125.1.107.
Full textAbstract:
1. A re-examination of fast stepping in free-walking cockroaches showed that there was considerable variation in the alternating tripod gait. 2. Small load increments applied to the whole animal significantly reduced this variability and concentrated the range and speed of movements used. 3. Animals suspended above oiled glass surfaces moved their legs in normal gait patterns indicating that mechanical coupling via the substrate was not a critical factor for normal high-speed coordination. 4. Increasing the viscosity of the oil produced the same reduction in variability found with load increment so the change cannot be due to increased mechanical coupling. 5. Increasing the viscosity of the oil under one leg alone resulted in concentration over the whole pattern so the result was not considered to be due to viscosity changes. 6. The changes seen in artificial loading situations were mimicked in natural loading situations such as walking up a slight incline. 7. The functional significance of the phenomenon for the stability of the rapidly moving animal is considered and the role of load afference in biasing central pattern generators to produce a continuous range of functional output is discussed.
18
Gartrell, B. D., R. Collen, J. E. Dowding, H. Gummer, S. Hunter, E. J. King, L. Laurenson, et al. "Captive husbandry and veterinary care of northern New Zealand dotterels (Charadrius obscurus aquilonius) during the CV Rena oil-spill response." Wildlife Research 40, no. 7 (2013): 624. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr13120.
Full textAbstract:
Context Oil spills cause significant detrimental impacts on many shoreline species. There is limited information in the scientific literature about the management and response of shorebirds to oil spills. Northern New Zealand dotterels (Charadrius obscurus aquilonius) were pre-emptively captured as part of the oiled wildlife response to the container vessel Rena oil spill, to ensure the survival of a regional population should there be a catastrophic release of oil. Previous attempts to hold dotterels in captivity have resulted in high mortality. Aims To describe the captive husbandry and veterinary management of wild-caught adult dotterels, to outline the common problems encountered, and make recommendations for future captive management. Methods The dotterels were caught by noose mat on beaches at risk of further contamination by oil. Initially, dotterels were kept individually indoors and force-fed until they converted to self-feeding on a diet of an artificial insect analogue, ox heart and mealworms. Once self-feeding, the birds were shifted to individual outdoor aviaries. Key results Sixty dotterels were caught. About half of birds had oil contamination of the legs, nine birds had light oil staining of feathers and only three of these birds required washing. The degree of oiling and washing did not affect survival. Dotterels took a median of 5 days (range 1–15 days) to convert to the captive diet. Common problems encountered in captivity included carpal and beak abrasions (61.7%) and pododermatitis (75%); however, these did not affect survival. Seven birds (11.7%) developed respiratory disease and six of these died from aspergillosis. The incidence of aspergillosis increased with length of time in captivity and was largely refractory to treatment. The 54 surviving birds were released at their capture sites after a median time of 49 days in captivity (with a range of 39–61 days). Conclusions The captive management of the dotterels achieved a 90% survival rate over a period of about 2 months. Deaths were solely due to respiratory aspergillosis, but intensive captive husbandry was required to convert the birds to a captive diet, to minimise traumatic injuries and to manage pododermatitis. Implications Although the captive management of shorebird species as a pre-emptive strategy to minimise the effects of oil spills carries significant costs and risks to the birds, it should be considered in the emergency management of high-priority species.
19
Hol, Felix JH, Louis Lambrechts, and Manu Prakash. "BiteOscope, an open platform to study mosquito biting behavior." eLife 9 (September 22, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/elife.56829.
Full textAbstract:
Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to reproduce, and in obtaining this essential nutrient they transmit deadly pathogens. Although crucial for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, blood feeding remains poorly understood due to technological limitations. Indeed, studies often expose human subjects to assess biting behavior. Here, we present the biteOscope, a device that attracts mosquitoes to a host mimic which they bite to obtain an artificial blood meal. The host mimic is transparent, allowing high-resolution imaging of the feeding mosquito. Using machine learning, we extract detailed behavioral statistics describing the locomotion, pose, biting, and feeding dynamics of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Anopheles stephensi, and Anopheles coluzzii. In addition to characterizing behavioral patterns, we discover that the common insect repellent DEET repels Anopheles coluzzii upon contact with their legs. The biteOscope provides a new perspective on mosquito blood feeding, enabling the high-throughput quantitative characterization of this lethal behavior.
20
Ray, Suparna, Miriam I. Rosenberg, Hélène Chanut-Delalande, Amélie Decaras, Barbara Schwertner, William Toubiana, Tzach Auman, et al. "The mlpt/Ubr3/Svb module comprises an ancient developmental switch for embryonic patterning." eLife 8 (March 21, 2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/elife.39748.
Full textAbstract:
Small open reading frames (smORFs) encoding ‘micropeptides’ exhibit remarkable evolutionary complexity. Conserved peptides encoded by mille-pattes (mlpt)/polished rice (pri)/tarsal less (tal) are essential for embryo segmentation in Tribolium but, in Drosophila, function in terminal epidermal differentiation and patterning of adult legs. Here, we show that a molecular complex identified in Drosophila epidermal differentiation, comprising Mlpt peptides, ubiquitin-ligase Ubr3 and transcription factor Shavenbaby (Svb), represents an ancient developmental module required for early insect embryo patterning. We find that loss of segmentation function for this module in flies evolved concomitantly with restriction of Svb expression in early Drosophila embryos. Consistent with this observation, artificially restoring early Svb expression in flies causes segmentation defects that depend on mlpt function, demonstrating enduring potency of an ancestral developmental switch despite evolving embryonic patterning modes. These results highlight the evolutionary plasticity of conserved molecular complexes under the constraints of essential genetic networks.Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (<xref ref-type="decision-letter" rid="SA1">see decision letter</xref>).