Higham Timothy E, Russell Anthony P
Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
J Exp Biol. 2025 Feb 15;228(Suppl_1). doi: 10.1242/jeb.247980. Epub 2025 Feb 20.
Morphological specializations often enable animals to deal with challenges in nature, a prime example being the adhesive system of geckos. With this, geckos can access smooth and vertical (and even inverted) areas of the habitat that most other animals cannot. However, what is known about how geckos cling stems primarily from laboratory studies of static adhesion, with an emphasis on the integumentary component of the adhesive apparatus. In reality, the system is hierarchical, with complex musculotendinous, vascular and sensory systems that are crucial for achieving attachment, modulation of attachment strength and ultimately, detachment. Experiments examining these additional components are virtually non-existent. Additionally, there is a paucity of information about the surfaces on which geckos move, how geckos move in their natural habitat and how the adhesive system is controlled during running over complex surfaces. It is unclear whether having an adhesive system reduces the energetic costs of running compared with lizards that lack the system. We propose a complimentary set of laboratory and field studies to fill major gaps in our understanding of gecko adhesion and locomotion. Key outstanding questions are: (1) How does surface structure influence locomotion? (2) How might geckos modulate adhesion through physiological mechanisms? (3) How do geckos locomote in complex natural habitats that vary in structural properties? (4) What are the underlying energetic costs of moving dynamically in nature with an adhesive system? We address these questions and generate a roadmap for future work, including the framing of testable hypotheses. The results of such studies will help us to understand the evolution of fast locomotion in small ectothermic vertebrates and the energetic costs of moving in complex habitats. In addition, they may inform the development of small adhesive robots.
形态学特化常常使动物能够应对自然界中的挑战，壁虎的粘附系统就是一个典型例子。借助这一系统，壁虎能够进入大多数其他动物无法到达的栖息地中的光滑垂直（甚至倒置）区域。然而，目前对于壁虎如何附着在物体表面的了解主要来自于静态粘附的实验室研究，重点在于粘附器官的体表部分。实际上，该系统是分层的，具有复杂的肌肉腱、血管和感觉系统，这些对于实现附着、调节附着强度以及最终脱离至关重要。几乎不存在研究这些额外组成部分的实验。此外，关于壁虎移动的表面、壁虎在自然栖息地中的移动方式以及在复杂表面上奔跑时粘附系统如何被控制的信息也很匮乏。与缺乏该系统的蜥蜴相比，拥有粘附系统是否会降低奔跑的能量消耗尚不清楚。我们提出了一系列互补的实验室和野外研究，以填补我们在壁虎粘附和运动理解方面的主要空白。关键的突出问题包括：（1）表面结构如何影响运动？（2）壁虎如何通过生理机制调节粘附？（3）壁虎在结构特性各异的复杂自然栖息地中如何运动？（4）在自然环境中借助粘附系统动态移动的潜在能量成本是多少？我们将解决这些问题，并为未来的工作制定路线图，包括提出可测试的假设。这些研究结果将有助于我们理解小型变温脊椎动物快速运动的进化以及在复杂栖息地中移动的能量成本。此外，它们可能为小型粘附机器人的开发提供参考。
