Tiny amphibious insects use tripod gait for seamless transition across land, water, and duckweed.

ABSTRACT: Insects exhibit remarkable adaptability in their locomotive strategies across diverse environments, a crucial trait for foraging, survival, and predator avoidance. Microvelia, tiny 2-3 mm insects that adeptly walk on water surfaces, exemplify this adaptability by using the alternating tripod gait in both aquatic and terrestrial terrains. These insects commonly inhabit low-flow ponds and streams cluttered with natural debris like leaves, twigs, and duckweed. Using high-speed imaging and pose-estimation software, we analyze Microvelia spp.'s movement across water, sandpaper (simulating land), and varying duckweed densities (10%, 25%, and 50% coverage). Our results reveal Microvelia maintain consistent joint angles and strides of their upper and hind legs across all duckw

SUBMITTER: O'Neil JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11014552 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature