Meeting Abstract
As a winged insect undergoes its final molt, it must unfold, inflate, and harden its wings. Wing expansion is critical to the survival and reproductive success of the insect. Despite its importance, the physics mediating wing expansion remain unexplored. These physical mechanisms are thought to involve pressure in the wing veins and elastic energy storage in the folded wing. Folding patterns and packing methods of premature wings differ across insect orders. For example in both Odonate (Family: Libellulidae) and Orthopteran (Family: Gryllidae) nymphs, wings develop inside oblong wing pads against the body. These wing pads contain compressed mature wings that begin to expand upon emergence, even in the absence of pressure. Previous work also shows that during emergence, hemolymph pressure builds both in gut and trachea, causing cuticle to stretch. While its known that this pressure increase is important, the dynamics of pressure driven wing expansion are not well understood. To understand these mechanisms, kinematics of ecdysis and wing expansion in both Odonates and Orthopterans were analyzed through video analysis. Specimens were frozen at various stages of wing expansion and were analyzed with imaging techniques to allow for 3D reconstruction and analysis of wing veins. In order to understand the role of pressure in the wing, these images were then used to inform a model of fluid flow through the wing veins. Inherently vital to insect flight and development, the principles of wing inflation and expansion can be applied to current air-craft designs and artificial inflatable structures.
