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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Histochemical And Ultrastructural Analyses Of Adhesive Setae Of Lizards Indicate That They Contain Lipids In Addition To Keratins, L. Alibardi, D. Edward, R. Bouhenni, Ali Dhinojwala, Peter Niewiarowski
Histochemical And Ultrastructural Analyses Of Adhesive Setae Of Lizards Indicate That They Contain Lipids In Addition To Keratins, L. Alibardi, D. Edward, R. Bouhenni, Ali Dhinojwala, Peter Niewiarowski
Dr. Peter H. Niewiarowski
ABSTRACT We studied the distribution of lipid material and organelles in the epidermal layers of toe pads from two species of lizards representing the two main lizard families in which adhesive scansors are found (gekkonids and polychrotids), the dull day gecko, Phelsuma dubia and the green anole, Anolis carolinensis. Although lipids are a conspicuous component of the mesos layer of squamate reptiles and function in reducing cutaneous water loss, their distribution has not been specifically studied in the highly elaborated epidermal surface of adhesive toe pads. We found that, in addition to the typical cutaneous water loss-resistant mesos and alpha-layer …
Self-Drying: A Gecko's Innate Ability To Remove Water From Wet Toe Pads, Alyssa Stark, Eva Paoloni, Peter Niewiarowski, Ali Dhinojwala, N Wucinich
Self-Drying: A Gecko's Innate Ability To Remove Water From Wet Toe Pads, Alyssa Stark, Eva Paoloni, Peter Niewiarowski, Ali Dhinojwala, N Wucinich
Dr. Peter H. Niewiarowski
When the adhesive toe pads of geckos become wet, they become ineffective in enabling geckos to stick to substrates. This result is puzzling given that many species of gecko are endemic to tropical environments where water covered surfaces are ubiquitous. We hypothesized that geckos can recover adhesive capabilities following exposure of their toe pads to water by walking on a dry surface, similar to the active self-cleaning of dirt particles. We measured the time it took to recover maximum shear adhesion after toe pads had become wet in two groups, those that were allowed to actively walk and those that …
The Effect Of Surface Water And Wetting On Gecko Adhesion, Peter Niewiarowski, A. Y., T. Sullivan
The Effect Of Surface Water And Wetting On Gecko Adhesion, Peter Niewiarowski, A. Y., T. Sullivan
Dr. Peter H. Niewiarowski
Despite profound interest in the mechanics and performance of the gecko adhesive system, relatively few studies have focused on performance under conditions that are ecologically relevant to the natural habitats of geckos. Because geckos are likely to encounter surfaces that are wet, we used shear force adhesion measurements to examine the effect of surface water and toe pad wetting on the whole-animal performance of a tropical-dwelling gecko (Gekko gecko). To test the effect of surface wetting, we measured the shear adhesive force of geckos on three substrate conditions: dry glass, glass misted with water droplets and glass fully submerged in …