Wing damage affects flight kinematics but not flower tracking performance in hummingbird hawkmoths
Kihlström, Klara ; Aiello, Brett ; Warrant, Eric LU
; Sponberg, Simon
and Stöckl, Anna
LU
(2021)
In The Journal of experimental biology
224.
- Abstract
Wing integrity is crucial to the many insect species that spend distinct portions of their life in flight. How insects cope with the consequences of wing damage is therefore a central question when studying how robust flight performance is possible with such fragile chitinous wings. It has been shown in a variety of insect species that the loss in lift-force production resulting from wing damage is generally compensated by an increase in wing beat frequency rather than amplitude. The consequences of wing damage for flight performance, however, are less well understood, and vary considerably between species and behavioural tasks. One hypothesis reconciling the varying results is that wing damage might affect fast flight manoeuvres with... (More)
Wing integrity is crucial to the many insect species that spend distinct portions of their life in flight. How insects cope with the consequences of wing damage is therefore a central question when studying how robust flight performance is possible with such fragile chitinous wings. It has been shown in a variety of insect species that the loss in lift-force production resulting from wing damage is generally compensated by an increase in wing beat frequency rather than amplitude. The consequences of wing damage for flight performance, however, are less well understood, and vary considerably between species and behavioural tasks. One hypothesis reconciling the varying results is that wing damage might affect fast flight manoeuvres with high acceleration, but not slower ones. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of wing damage on the manoeuvrability of hummingbird hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum) tracking a motorised flower. This assay allowed us to sample a range of movements at different temporal frequencies, and thus assess whether wing damage affected faster or slower flight manoeuvres. We show that hummingbird hawkmoths compensate for the loss in lift force mainly by increasing wing beat amplitude, yet with a significant contribution of wing beat frequency. We did not observe any effects of wing damage on flight manoeuvrability at either high or low temporal frequencies.
(Less)
- author
- Kihlström, Klara
; Aiello, Brett
; Warrant, Eric
LU
; Sponberg, Simon
and Stöckl, Anna
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Flight control, Flower tracking, Insect, Macroglossum stellatarum, Wing damage
- in
- The Journal of experimental biology
- volume
- 224
- article number
- jeb.236240
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33504584
- scopus:85102394366
- ISSN
- 1477-9145
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.236240
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5021c56d-5f4a-49e2-9c1c-5e0eafbca6d0
- date added to LUP
- 2021-03-25 14:31:21
- date last changed
- 2024-04-04 02:13:47
@article{5021c56d-5f4a-49e2-9c1c-5e0eafbca6d0,
abstract = {{<p>Wing integrity is crucial to the many insect species that spend distinct portions of their life in flight. How insects cope with the consequences of wing damage is therefore a central question when studying how robust flight performance is possible with such fragile chitinous wings. It has been shown in a variety of insect species that the loss in lift-force production resulting from wing damage is generally compensated by an increase in wing beat frequency rather than amplitude. The consequences of wing damage for flight performance, however, are less well understood, and vary considerably between species and behavioural tasks. One hypothesis reconciling the varying results is that wing damage might affect fast flight manoeuvres with high acceleration, but not slower ones. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of wing damage on the manoeuvrability of hummingbird hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum) tracking a motorised flower. This assay allowed us to sample a range of movements at different temporal frequencies, and thus assess whether wing damage affected faster or slower flight manoeuvres. We show that hummingbird hawkmoths compensate for the loss in lift force mainly by increasing wing beat amplitude, yet with a significant contribution of wing beat frequency. We did not observe any effects of wing damage on flight manoeuvrability at either high or low temporal frequencies.</p>}},
author = {{Kihlström, Klara and Aiello, Brett and Warrant, Eric and Sponberg, Simon and Stöckl, Anna}},
issn = {{1477-9145}},
keywords = {{Flight control; Flower tracking; Insect; Macroglossum stellatarum; Wing damage}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{The Journal of experimental biology}},
title = {{Wing damage affects flight kinematics but not flower tracking performance in hummingbird hawkmoths}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.236240}},
doi = {{10.1242/jeb.236240}},
volume = {{224}},
year = {{2021}},
}