Water striders are impervious to raindrop collision forces and submerged by collapsing craters.

ABSTRACT: Water striders are abundant in areas with high humidity and rainfall. Raindrops can weigh more than 40 times the adult water strider and some pelagic species spend their entire lives at sea, never contacting ground. Until now, researchers have not systematically investigated the survival of water striders when impacted by raindrops. In this experimental study, we use high-speed videography to film drop impacts on water striders. Drops force the insects subsurface upon direct contact. As the ensuing crater rebounds upward, the water strider is propelled airborne by a Worthington jet, herein called the first jet. We show the water strider's locomotive responses, low density, resistance to wetting when briefly submerged, and ability to regain a super-surface rest state, rendering it imperviou

SUBMITTER: Watson DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10835078 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature