Froghoppers jump from smooth plant surfaces by piercing them with sharp spines.

ABSTRACT: Attachment mechanisms used by climbing animals facilitate their interactions with complex 3D environments and have inspired novel types of synthetic adhesives. Here we investigate one of the most dynamic forms of attachment, used by jumping insects living on plants. Froghopper insects can perform explosive jumps with some of the highest accelerations known among animals. As many plant surfaces are smooth, we studied whether Philaenus spumarius froghoppers are able to take off from such substrates. When attempting to jump from smooth glass, the insects' hind legs slipped, resulting in weak, uncontrolled jumps with a rapid forward spin. By contrast, on smooth ivy leaves and smooth epoxy surfaces, Philaenus froghoppers performed strong jumps without any slipping. We discovered t

SUBMITTER: Goetzke HH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6386693 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature