Wind alters landing dynamics in bumblebees.
J Exp Biol
; 219(Pt 18): 2819-2822, 2016 Sep 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27436135
ABSTRACT
Landing is an important but understudied behavior that flying animals must perform constantly. In still air, insects decelerate smoothly prior to landing by employing the relatively simple strategy of maintaining a constant rate of image expansion during their approach. However, it is unclear whether insects employ this strategy when faced with challenging flight environments. Here, we tested the effects of wind on bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) landing on flowers. We find that bees' approach paths to flowers shift from multidirectional in still air to unidirectional in wind, regardless of flower orientation. In addition, bees landing in a 3.5â
mâ
s-1 headwind do not decelerate smoothly, but rather maintain a high flight speed until contact, resulting in higher peak decelerations upon impact. These findings suggest that wind has a strong influence on insect landing behavior and performance, with important implications for the design of micro aerial vehicles and the ecomechanics of insect flight.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Biol
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos