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Essential role of papillae flexibility in nectar capture by bees

The crucial role of flexible papillae is shown, whose aspect ratio determines the optimal nectar concentration, to understand quantitatively the capture of nectar by bees and how physics can shed some light on the degree of adaptation of a specific morphological trait.
NAS (opens in a new tab)

Is hummingbird's feeding mechanisms based on elasto-capillary ?

Microrheology of hemolymph plasma of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris.

Using particle tracking microrheology, which is well suited to characterise the rheology of the fluid part of the hemolymph, the plasma viscosity in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris is studied.
PubMed (opens in a new tab)

Collection of nectar by bumblebees: how the physics of fluid demonstrates the prominent role of the tongue's morphology.

A physical model of viscous dipping with structured rods was designed to explain the physical mechanism at the origin of Bombus terrestris' outstanding ability to catch nectar, and can be transposed to others nectar foragers such as bats and hummingbirds.
PubMed (opens in a new tab)

Viscous dipping, application to the capture of fluids in living organisms

It is confirmed that the quantity of fluid captured by the rod is determined by the capillary number, through a balance of viscous drag and capillary forces, which can be adequately described by a visco-gravitational model.

Receding contact line dynamics on superhydrophobic surfaces

We have explored receding contact line dynamics on superhydrophobic surfaces, composed of micropillars arrays. We present here dynamic receding contact angle measurements of water on such surfaces,…
arXiv (opens in a new tab)
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