A5001224188- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Plant and animal studies
- Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications
- Sports Performance and Training
- Fossil Insects in Amber
- Robotic Locomotion and Control
- Mechanics and Biomechanics Studies
- Winter Sports Injuries and Performance
- Sports injuries and prevention
- Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Gear and Bearing Dynamics Analysis
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Human Pose and Action Recognition
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- thermodynamics and calorimetric analyses
- Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
- Infrared Thermography in Medicine
- Anomaly Detection Techniques and Applications
Imperial College London
2018-2024
University of Cambridge
2013-2024
Google (United States)
2014-2023
Bridge University
2017
Swansea University
2017
Weatherford (Switzerland)
2009
We introduce the antibody landscape, a method for quantitative analysis of antibody-mediated immunity to antigenically variable pathogens, achieved by accounting antigenic variation among pathogen strains. generated landscapes study immune profiles covering 43 years influenza A/H3N2 virus evolution 69 individuals monitored infection over 6 and 225 pre- postvaccination. Upon vaccination, titers increased broadly, including previously encountered viruses far beyond extent cross-reactivity...
Abstract Animal performance fundamentally influences behaviour, ecology, and evolution. It typically varies monotonously with size. A notable exception is maximum running speed; the fastest animals are of intermediate Here we show that this peculiar allometry results from competition between two musculoskeletal constraints: kinetic energy capacity, which dominates in small animals, work reigns supreme large animals. The ratio both capacities defines physiological similarity index Γ, a...
Organismal functions are size-dependent whenever body surfaces supply volumes. Larger organisms can develop strongly folded internal for enhanced diffusion, but in many cases areas cannot be so that their enlargement is constrained by anatomy, presenting a problem larger animals. Here, we study the allometry of adhesive pad area 225 climbing animal species, covering more than seven orders magnitude weight. Across all taxa, showed extreme positive and scaled with weight, implying 200-fold...
Bite forces play a key role in animal ecology: they affect mating behaviour, fighting success, and the ability to feed. Although feeding habits of arthropods have significant ecological economical impact, we lack fundamental knowledge on how morphology physiology their bite apparatus controls performance, its variation with mandible gape. To address this gap, derived biomechanical model that characterizes relationship between force mandibular opening angle from first principles. We validate...
Stick insects (Carausius morosus) have two distinct types of attachment pad per leg, tarsal "heel" pads (euplantulae) and a pre-tarsal "toe" (arolium). Here we show that these are specialised for fundamentally different functions. When standing upright, stick rested on their proximal euplantulae, while arolia were the only in surface contact when hanging upside down. Single-pad force measurements showed adhesion euplantulae was extremely small, but friction forces strongly increased with...
The extraordinary success of social insects is partially based on division labour, i.e. individuals exclusively or preferentially perform specific tasks. Task preference may correlate with morphological adaptations so implying task specialization, but the extent such specialization can be difficult to determine. Here, we demonstrate how physical foundation some tasks leveraged quantitatively link morphology and performance. We study allometry bite force capacity in
Muscle contraction is the primary source of all animal movement. I show that maximum mechanical output such contractions determined by a characteristic dimensionless number, "effective inertia,"
We combine detailed force measurements on isolated attachment organs of live insects with a theoretical approach based fracture mechanics to show that viscous energy dissipation ‘wet’ insect pads is akin ‘dry’ elastomers.
Many stick insects and mantophasmids possess tarsal 'heel pads' (euplantulae) covered by arrays of conical, micrometre-sized hairs (acanthae). These pads are used mainly under compression; they respond to load with increasing shear resistance, show negligible adhesion. Reflected-light microscopy in (Carausius morosus) revealed that the contact area changes normal on three hierarchical levels. First, loading brought larger areas convex into contact. Second, increased density acanthae Third,...
Atta leaf-cutter ants are the prime herbivore in Neotropics: differently sized foragers harvest plant material to grow a fungus as crop. Efficient foraging involves complex interactions between worker size, task preferences and plant-fungus suitability; it is, however, ultimately constrained by ability of workers generate forces large enough cut vegetation. In order quantify this ability, we measured bite vollenweideri spanning more than one magnitude body mass. Maximum force scaled almost...
Herbivores large and small need to mechanically process plant tissue. Their ability do so is determined by two forces: the maximum force they can generate, minimum required fracture The ratio of these forces determines relative mechanical effort; how this varies with animal size challenging predict. We measured cut thin polymer sheets mandibles from leaf-cutter ant workers which vary more than one order magnitude in body mass. Cutting were independent mandible size, but differed a factor...
Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the largest extant predatory lizards and their ziphodont (serrated, curved blade-shaped) teeth make them valuable analogues for studying tooth structure, function comparing with extinct taxa, such as theropod dinosaurs. Like other reptiles, V. komodoensis possess only a thin coating of enamel that is nevertheless able to cope demands puncture-pull feeding. Using advanced chemical structural imaging, we reveal unique adaptation maintaining cutting...
Size estimation is a hard computer vision problem with widespread applications in quality control manufacturing and processing plants, livestock management, research on animal behaviour. Image-based size typically facilitated by either well-controlled imaging conditions, the provision of global cues, or both. Reference-free remains challenging, because objects vastly different sizes can appear identical if they are similar shape. Here, we explore feasibility implementing automated...
Claws are the most widespread attachment devices in animals, but comparatively little is known about mechanics of claw attachment. A key morphological parameter determining ability sharpness; however, there a conflict between sharpness and fracture resistance. Sharper claws can interlock on more surfaces likely to break. Body size interacts with this such that larger animals should have much blunter consequently poorer than smaller animals. This expected size-induced reduction performance...
We present scAnt , an open-source platform for the creation of digital 3D models arthropods and small objects. consists a scanner Graphical User Interface, enables automated generation Extended Depth Of Field images from multiple perspectives. These are then masked with novel automatic routine which combines random forest-based edge-detection, adaptive thresholding connected component labelling. The can be processed further photogrammetry software package choice, including options such as...
Many social insects display age polyethism: young workers stay inside the nest, and only older forage. This behavioural transition is accompanied by genetic physiological changes, but mechanistic origin of it remains unclear. To investigate if mechanical demands on musculoskeletal system effectively prevent from foraging, we studied biomechanical development bite apparatus in
Deep learning-based computer vision methods are transforming animal behavioural research. Transfer learning has enabled work in non-model species, but still requires hand-annotation of example footage, and is only performant well-defined conditions. To help overcome these limitations, we developed replicAnt, a configurable pipeline implemented Unreal Engine 5 Python, designed to generate large variable training datasets on consumer-grade hardware. replicAnt places 3D models into complex,...
Many arthropods and small vertebrates use adhesive pads for climbing. These biological adhesives have to meet conflicting demands: attachment must be strong reliable, yet detachment should fast effortless. Climbing animals can rapidly reversibly control their pads' strength by shear forces, but the mechanisms underlying this coupling remained unclear. Here, we show that forces of stick insect closely followed predictions from tape peeling models when were small, strongly exceeded them large,...
Here we investigate the mechanical properties and structural design of pericarp green coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). The showed excellent impact characteristics, tests its individual components revealed gradients in stiffness, strength elongation at break from outer to inner layer pericarp. In order understand more about potential effect such on 'bulk' material properties, designed simple, graded, cellulose fibre-reinforced polylactide (PLA) composites by stacking layers reinforced with fibres...
Muscle is the universal agent of animal movement, and limits to muscle performance are therefore an integral aspect behaviour, ecology, evolution. A mechanical perspective on movement makes it amenable analysis from first principles, so brings seeming certitude simple physical laws challenging comparative study complex biological systems. Early contributions biomechanics considered energy output be limited by work capacity, W max ; triggered seminal in late 1960s, now held broadly that a...