spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

First published online July 23, 2003
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Combes, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Daniel, T. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Combes, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Daniel, T. L.
The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 2979-2987 (2003)
doi: 10.1242/jeb.00523

Flexural stiffness in insect wings I. Scaling and the influence of wing venation

S. A. Combes* and T. L. Daniel

Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: scombes{at}u.washington.edu)

Accepted 3 June 2003

During flight, many insect wings undergo dramatic deformations that are controlled largely by the architecture of the wing. The pattern of supporting veins in wings varies widely among insect orders and families, but the functional significance of phylogenetic trends in wing venation remains unknown, and measurements of the mechanical properties of wings are rare. In this study, we address the relationship between venation pattern and wing flexibility by measuring the flexural stiffness of wings (in both the spanwise and chordwise directions) and quantifying wing venation in 16 insect species from six orders. These measurements show that spanwise flexural stiffness scales strongly with the cube of wing span, whereas chordwise flexural stiffness scales with the square of chord length. Wing size accounts for over 95% of the variability in measured flexural stiffness; the residuals of this relationship are small and uncorrelated with standardized independent contrasts of wing venation characters. In all species tested, spanwise flexural stiffness is 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than chordwise flexural stiffness. A finite element model of an insect wing demonstrates that leading edge veins are crucial in generating this spanwise-chordwise anisotropy.

Key words: insect flight, flexural stiffness, wing, wing flexibility, wing vein, independent contrast, finite element model




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
Q. Zhu and K. Shoele
Propulsion performance of a skeleton-strengthened fin
J. Exp. Biol., July 1, 2008; 211(13): 2087 - 2100.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
J. G. Mezey, D. Houle, and S. V. Nuzhdin
Naturally Segregating Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Wing Shape of Drosophila melanogaster
Genetics, April 1, 2005; 169(4): 2101 - 2113.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
S. A. Combes and T. L. Daniel
Flexural stiffness in insect wings II. Spatial distribution and dynamic wing bending
J. Exp. Biol., September 1, 2003; 206(17): 2989 - 2997.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
S. A. Combes and T. L. Daniel
Into thin air: contributions of aerodynamic and inertial-elastic forces to wing bending in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta
J. Exp. Biol., September 1, 2003; 206(17): 2999 - 3006.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2003