Contrasting micro/nano architecture on termite wings: two divergent strategies for optimising success of colonisation flights.

ABSTRACT: Many termite species typically fly during or shortly after rain periods. Local precipitation will ensure water will be present when establishing a new colony after the initial flight. Here we show how different species of termite utilise two distinct and contrasting strategies for optimising the success of the colonisation flight. Nasutitermes sp. and Microcerotermes sp. fly during rain periods and adopt hydrophobic structuring/'technologies' on their wings to contend with a moving canvas of droplets in daylight hours. Schedorhinotermes sp. fly after rain periods (typically at night) and thus do not come into contact with mobile droplets. These termites, in contrast, display hydrophilic structuring on their wings with a small scale roughness which is not dimensionally sufficient to introdu

SUBMITTER: Watson GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3173396 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature