Meeting Abstract

P3-9  Sunday, Jan. 6 15:30 – 17:30  Relationships between Adhesive Performance and Substrate Preference Behavior in Tokay Geckos (Gekko gecko) GARNER, AM; PAMFILIE, AM*; DHINOJWALA, A; NIEWIAROWSKI, PH; The University of Akron; The University of Akron; The University of Akron; The University of Akron amp183@zips.uakron.edu

The past several decades of research into gecko adhesive system performance, morphology, and ecology have uncovered a stunning array of results. The gecko adhesive system is apparently able to adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, including those that are rough. However, some recent work suggests that the contact setae are capable of generating may be greatly diminished on rough surfaces. A handful of laboratory studies have investigated gecko adhesive performance on rough surfaces, but it is still unclear how surface roughness at a variety of length scales impacts gecko adhesion. Here, we attempt to determine if gecko adhesive capacity is reduced on a rough surface of interest and whether geckos, if, when given a choice, will avoid using this surface.The results of this study will provide additional data detailing how surface roughness impacts gecko adhesion, and also give a starting place for future studies investigating how adhesive performance may be related to substrate preference and habitat use in free-ranging geckos.