Mechanistic origins of bombardier beetle (Brachinini) explosion-induced defensive spray pulsation
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Ortiz_Mechanistic origins.pdf
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21.12 MB
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Author(s)
Arndt, Eric Michael
Moore, Wendy
Lee, Wah-Keat
Ortiz, Christine
Date Issued
April 2015
Journal
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Citation
Arndt, E. M. et al. “Mechanistic Origins of Bombardier Beetle (Brachinini) Explosion-Induced Defensive Spray Pulsation.” Science 348.6234 (2015): 563–567.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Bombardier beetles (Brachinini) use a rapid series of discrete explosions inside their pygidial gland reaction chambers to produce a hot, pulsed, quinone-based defensive spray. The mechanism of brachinines’ spray pulsation was explored using anatomical studies and direct observation of explosions inside living beetles using synchrotron x-ray imaging. Quantification of the dynamics of vapor inside the reaction chamber indicates that spray pulsation is controlled by specialized, contiguous cuticular structures located at the junction between the reservoir (reactant) and reaction chambers. Kinematics models suggest passive mediation of spray pulsation by mechanical feedback from the explosion, causing displacement of these structures.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1261166
