Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
J Exp Biol. 2018 Nov 16;221(Pt 22):jeb187294. doi: 10.1242/jeb.187294.
A viper injecting venom into a target, a mantis shrimp harpooning a fish, a cactus dispersing itself via spines attaching to passing mammals; all these are examples of biological puncture. Although disparate in terms of materials, kinematics and phylogeny, all three examples must adhere to the same set of fundamental physical laws that govern puncture mechanics. The diversity of biological puncture systems is a good case study for how physical laws can be used as a baseline for comparing disparate biological systems. In this Review, I explore the diversity of biological puncture and identify key variables that influence these systems. First, I explore recent work on biological puncture in a diversity of organisms, based on their hypothesized objectives: gripping, injection, damage and defence. Variation within each category is discussed, such as the differences between gripping for prey capture, gripping for dispersal of materials or gripping during reproduction. The second half of the Review is focused on specific physical parameters that influence puncture mechanics, such as material properties, stress, energy, speed and the medium within which puncture occurs. I focus on how these parameters have been examined in biology, and how they influence the evolution of biological systems. The ultimate objective of this Review is to outline an initial framework for examining the mechanics and evolution of puncture systems across biology. This framework will not only allow for broad biological comparisons, but also create a baseline for bioinspired design of both tools that puncture efficiently and materials that can resist puncture.
毒蛇向目标注射毒液，螳螂虾用鱼叉刺穿鱼，仙人掌通过附着在经过的哺乳动物身上的刺分散自己；所有这些都是生物穿刺的例子。尽管在材料、运动学和系统发育上存在差异，但这三个例子都必须遵守同样的一套基本物理定律，这些定律支配着穿刺力学。生物穿刺系统的多样性很好地说明了物理定律如何可以作为比较不同生物系统的基准。在这篇综述中，我探讨了生物穿刺的多样性，并确定了影响这些系统的关键变量。首先，我根据它们假设的目标，探索了不同生物体中生物穿刺的最新研究：抓取、注射、损伤和防御。讨论了每个类别的变化，例如，为了捕获猎物而抓取、为了传播材料而抓取、为了繁殖而抓取之间的差异。综述的第二部分集中于影响穿刺力学的特定物理参数，如材料特性、应力、能量、速度以及穿刺发生的介质。我重点介绍了这些参数在生物学中是如何被研究的，以及它们如何影响生物系统的进化。本综述的最终目标是概述一个用于检查生物学中穿刺系统的力学和进化的初始框架。该框架不仅允许进行广泛的生物学比较，还为高效穿刺的工具和能抵抗穿刺的材料的仿生设计创建了一个基准。
