Dickerson Andrew K, Hu David L
*School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Physics Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
*School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Physics Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA *School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Physics Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA *School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Physics Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
Integr Comp Biol. 2014 Dec;54(6):1008-13. doi: 10.1093/icb/icu042. Epub 2014 May 29.
We report mosquito behaviors for removing accumulated drops of water which would otherwise increase the energy expended during takeoff and free flight. These techniques take advantage of the insect's small size and great structural strength. To dry their wings before takeoff, mosquitoes employ a flutter stroke, at double the wingbeat frequency of normal flight, generating nearly 2500 gravities of acceleration. Mosquitoes may also remove drops by the respective accelerations associated with takeoff and collision with the ground. We correlate the accelerations and size of drops ejected using a simple model involving the drop's inertial force and surface tension. We note mosquitoes may use similar techniques to remove synthetic drops, making our observations applicable for understanding the resistance of insects to insecticides.
我们报告了蚊子去除积聚水滴的行为，否则这些水滴会增加起飞和自由飞行时消耗的能量。这些技巧利用了昆虫体型小和结构强度大的特点。为了在起飞前晾干翅膀，蚊子采用一种扑翼动作，其翅膀拍动频率是正常飞行时的两倍，能产生近2500倍重力的加速度。蚊子还可能通过与起飞和与地面碰撞相关的各自加速度来去除水滴。我们使用一个涉及水滴惯性力和表面张力的简单模型，将喷出的水滴的加速度和大小关联起来。我们注意到蚊子可能使用类似技巧去除合成水滴，这使得我们的观察结果适用于理解昆虫对杀虫剂的抗性。
