Navigation Links
Hind wings help butterflies make swift turns to evade predators, study finds
Date:1/8/2009

ITHACA, N.Y. New tires allow race cars to take tight turns at high speeds. Hind wings give moths and butterflies similar advantages: They are not necessary for basic flight but help these creatures take tight turns to evade predators.

"To escape a predator, you don't have to be fast, you just have to be more erratic," said Tom Eisner, a world authority on animal behavior, ecology and evolution and the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Chemical Ecology at Cornell. Eisner is co-author of a study on butterfly wings recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (105: 43).

The study proposes that in the course of evolution, the ability of butterflies to evade predators became linked with bright coloring, as an added protection. In evolutionary terms, gaudy colors are usually a sign to such predators as birds that a prey species has a protective quality, such as a bad taste or great agility, and that chasing them isn't worth the energy. Anyone who has tried to net a colorful butterfly knows they are hard to catch, but this is the first study to show that a butterfly's hind wings are responsible for making them evasive.

Eisner and the paper's lead author, Benjamin Jantzen, (M.S. physics '02), a doctoral student in philosophy of science at Carnegie Mellon University, clipped off the hind wings of butterflies and then filmed their flight using two cameras to get three-dimensional views of their flight trajectories; then they analyzed and plotted on a computer the insects' flight velocity, acceleration, how fast they changed direction, the curvature of their path and more.

They found that clipping the back wings did not affect basic flight, but "we were able to show that removing the hind wings cut their turning acceleration in half," said Jantzen. The butterfly's hind wings scoop air and provide extra force to quickly turn when chased.

Eisner added that some butterflies have other qua
'/>"/>

Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell University Communications
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Using nanotubes to detect and repair cracks in aircraft wings, other structures
2. New Delft material concept for aircraft wings could save billions
3. Monarch butterflies help explain why parasites harm hosts
4. Smell-wars between butterflies and ants
5. As Andean glacier retreats, tiny life forms swiftly move in, CU-Boulder study shows
6. How chromosomes meet in the dark -- Switch that turns on X chromosome matchmaking
7. Scripps research scientists identify blood component that turns bacteria virulent
8. TORC at UH turns to virtual world of Second Life for new study
9. A molecular switch turns on the flame in natures blowtorch
10. UC Davis researchers discover how HIV turns food-poisoning into lethal infection
11. Unfavorable ocean conditions likely cause of low 2007 salmon returns along West Coast
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/30/2009)...s postulated that food consumption in birds and ma...mals would eat as much as they could while food wa...would allow them to. However, recent research has...take reaches a limit, even in animals with high nu...sts at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology ...
(Date:6/30/2009)...that cognitive function declines as we get older. ...fic kind of daily activities we engage in during t...tent of this decline. A team of researchers from T...ion of labour among honey bees affects their learn...ve found that, by switching their social role, agi...
(Date:6/30/2009)...th" halo surrounding highly-publicized marketing c...rting to dim. , Recent announcements by Starbuck...tose corn syrup from certain products are being ca...erts and respected journalists. These articles ha... put forth scientifically substantiated facts abou...
(Date:6/30/2009)...cording to a new study 1 which shows that like hu...e between ,good, and ,bad, paintings. According to...n Japan, pigeons use both color and pattern cues t..., as well as their texture. Professor Watanabe,s ...journal, Animal Cognition . , The concept of be...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Key to evolutionary fitness: Cut the calories 2A young brain for an old bee 2Recent news reports of sweetener reformulations raise questions about motivations 2A bird's eye view of art 2National Pharmaceutical Council on Economic Stimulus Package 3A Comparative Effectiveness Research Funding Should Target Improvements in Quality of Pa 36907 1ECO 2009 The 17th European Congress on obesity 36902 1ECO 2009 The 17th European Congress on obesity 36902 2Fifth U S Hand Transplant Patient Heads Home to NY 3855 1Fifth U S Hand Transplant Patient Heads Home to NY 3855 2Fifth U S Hand Transplant Patient Heads Home to NY 3855 3American Association for Cancer Research lauds Senator Arlen Specter 36896 1American Association for Cancer Research lauds Senator Arlen Specter 36896 2
... was the Pied Piper,s tune. For the destructive se...actant, or pheromone, released by lamprey larvae l..., adults are drawn to streams favorable for spawni...heromone so it could be synthesized and used to co...akes fisheries of lake trout and other species in ...
... apparent linkages between the evolutionary develo...chers have uncovered the genetic elements that det...echanical system, the lower jaw of the cichlid fis...ession of a particular gene in an embryo can lead ... appear in the November 11, 2005 issue of the Proc...
...om The Earth Institute at Columbia University have...ons of Asian elephants in India is actually two ge...y, which appear in the current issue of the journa...lications in conservation plans for the endangered...inent. , Prithiviraj Fernando, a post-doctoral res...
... be used to tailor therapy according to the indivi...ng to undergo painful unsuccessful therapies. In a...arch, researchers analysed tumour tissue samples a...to predict a patient,s response in the five years ...ing patients whose breast tumours express these ge...
Other Biology News:Leading lampreys to slaughter: Pheromone for scourge of Great Lakes identified 2Leading lampreys to slaughter: Pheromone for scourge of Great Lakes identified 3Changes to embryos can elicit change in adult fish 2Genetic analysis of Asian elephants in India reveals some surprises 2Microarray technology for tailoring breast cancer therapy 2
(Date:7/2/2009)..., N.Y., July 2 Lixte Bio...ounced today that investigators of the National In...S) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Nation...s novel compound, LB-1.2, enhances the effectivene...els of human cancers. This research is being condu...
(Date:7/1/2009)...attern has led materials scientists at the Nationa... the Institute of Solid State Physics in Russia to...long-range effects of certain electromagnetic nano...ported findings* may add new scientific challenges...h density data storage devices. , The team was s...
(Date:7/1/2009)...ollaborating effectively with government and NGO p...ivering Pfizer-donated Zithromax , , ATLANTA, ...l Trachoma Initiative (ITI) has a new leadership t...mong governments and NGOs in 56 trachoma endemic c... to support local, national, regional, and interna...
(Date:7/1/2009)...f investigational sustained follicle stimulant ach...itropin beta given over a one week period in Phase...rstCall/ -- Schering-Plough Corp., (NYSE: SGP ) ...clinical trial demonstrating that a single injecti...sustained follicle stimulants, achieved similar ef...
Breaking Biology Technology:Lixte Biotechnology Holdings' Lead Compound, LB-1.2, Enhances the Effectiveness of Standard Cancer Chemotherapy in Animal Models 2Lixte Biotechnology Holdings' Lead Compound, LB-1.2, Enhances the Effectiveness of Standard Cancer Chemotherapy in Animal Models 3Unexpectedly long-range effects in advanced magnetic devices 2New Leadership Team at International Trachoma Initiative to Build Stronger Partnerships to Eliminate Blinding Trachoma 2Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 2Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 3Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 4Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 5Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 6Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 7Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 8Schering-Plough Announces Phase II and III Data for Corifollitropin Alfa 9
...7.6.4 Long PCR , , The time increm... temperature , command, enables a , ...mperature for each cycle. , , With ...g fragments for a , successive extension of...e example given, the elongation time is extended b...
...here is obviously no single , set of condit.... For example, , depending on the length an...res , of the PCRs can differ from each othe...ent annealing temperature is a prerequisite for re...n of a specific target. , The Eppendorf Ma...
...roblems with the amplification of a specific , ...currence in the lab. For example, , unspeci...n, which hinder, , or even prevent, further..., etc.) or an unequivocal assessment of the ... must be optimized. This is normally achieved by t...
...ing cDNA 5, Ends , Using the Eppendorf Ma..., , Ulrich Genschel , Institute ... Rohrer, Eppendorf , AG, Hamburg , ...duction , In many research projects, cDNA... analyses at the molecular level. However, when cD...
Other Biology Technology:PCR Optimization 2PCR Optimization 3Using Gradient PCR to determine the optimum annealing temperature. 2Optimizing the Direct Amplification of Missing cDNA 5' Ends, Using the Eppendorf Mastercycler gradient 2Optimizing the Direct Amplification of Missing cDNA 5' Ends, Using the Eppendorf Mastercycler gradient 3Optimizing the Direct Amplification of Missing cDNA 5' Ends, Using the Eppendorf Mastercycler gradient 4Optimizing the Direct Amplification of Missing cDNA 5' Ends, Using the Eppendorf Mastercycler gradient 5
Fluoroskan Ascent is a dedicated fluorometer with sensitivity and flexibility for all kinds of assays in industrial and academic research and for clinical applications. Cell biology, immunology and m
The Jouan MSC series of Class II Biological Safety Cabinets provides comfortable working conditions and certification to the world's highest safety standards. Fully automatic regulation ensures that
...ybridization Oven with circular clear acrylic cham...HC-3000 HybriCycler Oven features microprocessor o...leveling feet balance the unit., Carousel rotates...sel is ,easily removable , Bottle Capacity - four...
...etic particle based purification systems provide h...m any sample. They offer increased throughput and ...ses three systems- KingFisher, KingFisher mL and K...00 l. Each system consists of an instrument, speci...
Biology Products: