The female locust can dig 4-3 holes to lay eggs and then her organs that are intended for this wear out
Researchers at Tel Aviv University examined the level of mechanical wear and tear of digging claw-like organs at the end of the female locust's abdomen, which are used to dig holes for laying eggs 3 to 4 times during her life. They found that unlike organs that are highly resistant to wear, such as the chewing mouthparts, the paws are worn to a significant degree following the digging action. The researchers: "This is a clear example of the 'good enough' principle in nature. Evolution did not see fit to invest unnecessary resources in an organ with a specific purpose that fulfills its function satisfactorily. There is no doubt that a person, who invests many resources in things for which there is no actual need, has There's a lot to learn from nature."
Evolution invests only in what is really necessary
The research was led by Dr. Beth-el Panhsik from the School of Mechanical Engineering At the Ivy and Eldar Fleishman Faculty of Engineering, and Prof. Amir Ily from the School of Zoology in the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Steinhardt Museum of Nature At Tel Aviv University, master students Shai Sonnenreich and Shmuel Gershon from the School of Mechanical Engineering, as well as researchers from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. The article was published in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials.
"In my laboratory, we study mechanical mechanisms in nature, among other things with the aim of drawing inspiration from them to solve various technological problems. Recently, we are conducting a series of studies in collaboration with the locust research expert Prof. Amir Ily, to understand the mechanism by which the female locust digs a hole in which she lays her eggs. It is a unique mechanism that consists of two pairs of paw-like organs that open and close cyclically, digging in the soil and compacting the sand to the sides," explains Dr. Panhsik.
"It is known that many mechanisms in the body of insects in general, and locusts in particular, have a high resistance to mechanical wear. For example, the chewing mouthparts, which are essential for eating and are in daily use, are made of an extremely durable material. The digging paws are also used by the female locust for strong mechanical action, but they are activated Only 3 or 4 times during her life, when she lays eggs The digs, which are made of hard cuticular material, have been equipped by evolution with a high resistance to mechanical wear," continues Prof. Ely.
research team. From the right: Master's student Shay Sonnenreich, Dr. Bat-El Panhsik and Prof. Amir Ily
The researchers examined the digging paws of three different groups of female locusts: young women who had not yet laid eggs, adults who were kept in conditions that did not allow them to lay eggs, this to test whether age in itself causes erosion, and adults who had already laid three or four times. To characterize the internal structure and strength of the shovels, the researchers used advanced technologies of confocal microscopy, three-dimensional fluorescent imaging, and a particle accelerator (synchrotron), by the German group. The findings revealed that the shovels were worn to a significant extent and that they do not have characteristics of high resistance to mechanical wear. Among other things, metal ions that contribute to strengthening the material, which characterize particularly resistant biological materials, were not found in them.
Dr. Panhsik concludes: "Like most animals, female locusts also end their lives after they have fulfilled their biological role, that is, they have finished reproducing - three to four egg-laying cycles. In this study, we found that evolution designed their shovels to perform their tasks precisely, nothing more and nothing less. This is a great example of the principle of 'good enough' in nature: unnecessary resources were not invested in the organ when it was not needed. As humans we can learn quite a bit from this about saving materials, energy and resources. As engineers who develop products, we must fully understand the need and plan an accurate response for it, and avoid over-engineering products when there is no real need for it. This way we can even prevent enormous environmental damage caused by the overproduction of unnecessary products."
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