Meeting Abstract
Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) have been a focal point for adhesion research for the past several decades; studied intensively due to the remarkable capabilities of their adhesive toe pads. Although tokay geckos adhere strongly to many smooth, dry, synthetic surfaces, previous research has found that their sticking ability is greatly reduced when in contact with wet substrates that more closely mimic the wet, natural surfaces found in their environment. Adhesive performance on wet substrates varies, however, in the way that adhesion is maintained on wet hydrophobic substrates but not wet hydrophilic substrates. Interestingly, geckos show no significant difference in running speed across wet or dry hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Data even suggest sprint velocity increases on wet surfaces. To investigate the discrepancy between clinging and running performance on wet substrates, we quantified locomotor differences (i.e., number and length of stops and sprinting bursts, speed of sprinting bursts) of geckos running on wet hydrophobic and wet hydrophilic substrates. We predicted that stops on wet substrates are followed by faster burst speeds than stops made on dry substrates, and that geckos stop less frequently and for shorter periods of time on wet hydrophilic substrates than wet hydrophobic substrates. The results of this study will allow us to better understand how tokay geckos navigate their natural environment and perhaps alter their locomotor behavior based on substrate and adhesive conditions.
