2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Investigation of a hydrophobic-hydrophilic crown-like structure in aquatic insects under the water surface
| Project/Area Number |
20K06071
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 39050:Insect science-related
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| Research Institution | Tokyo University of Agriculture (2023)
Hamamatsu University School of Medicine (2020-2022) |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
針山 孝彦 浜松医科大学, 光尖端医学教育研究センター, 特命研究教授 (30165039)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | 電子顕微鏡 / 高真空 / 水性生物 / NanoSuit |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Various insects utilize hydrophobic biological surfaces to live on the water surface, while other organisms possess hydrophilic properties to live within the water column. Dixidae Larvae reside just below the water surface and never submerge. However, little is known about how the larvae live in such an ecological niche. In this study, we reveal their remarkable features and elucidate the mechanisms by the morphological analysis using the NanoSuit method, and the movement analysis using the high-speed photography. We find that a complex ‘crown’ structure on its abdomen consists of super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic structures. Our results demonstrate that the combination of these conflicting properties enables the larvae to position itself and to move just under the water surface: the hydrophobic region utilizes the water’s surface tension to function as an ‘adhesive disc’, and the hydrophilic region behaves as a ‘rudder’ during locomotion.
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| Free Research Field |
形態学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
水面直下の生物に注目した研究は国内外ともに無かった。さらにNanoSuit 法により、生きたまま生物試料を高分解能観察する技術は、これまでの観察結果を正確にするだけでなく、生命現象そのものについて新たな超微形態的知見を与えることは明白であり、注目昆虫および解析法の両者ともに学術的意義がある。また、本研究による新規知見は、生命科学全体に新たな視点を与え、農学・生物学・医学などの生命科学分野にこれまでにない新機構を提案するとともに、バイオミメティクス研究の推進にも貢献できる。
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