Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles derived from algae and their larvicidal properties to control Aedes aegypti

• Matheus Alves Siqueira de Assunção,
• Douglas Dourado,
• Daiane Rodrigues dos Santos,
• Gabriel Bezerra Faierstein,
• Mara Elga Medeiros Braga,
• Severino Alves Junior,
• Rosângela Maria Rodrigues Barbosa,
• Herminio José Cipriano de Sousa and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1566–1575, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.123

• nanomaterials in non-target species is discussed. Keywords: bioassay; inorganic nanoparticles; mosquito vector; nanotechnology; physicochemical; tropical neglected diseases; Introduction Arboviroses are diseases caused by the pathogens transmitted by arthropods, and their transmission to humans occurs through

• the bite of hematophagous arthropods. Mosquitoes are the most important vectors of arboviroses [1], although many are maintained by ticks [2], phlebotomines [3], and other arthropods [4]. Arboviroses represent a major public health concern in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world [5]. Aedes

Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Carlo Polidori and
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1333–1352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.107

• materials and devices that replicate the efficiency and functionality of insect body structures, driving progress in medical technology, robotics, environmental monitoring, and beyond. Keywords: arthropods; bio-inspired surfaces; bioengineering; cuticle; nanoscale structures; Introduction The body

• significant potential for application in various industries [82]. Eyes: Similar to insects and other arthropods, hymenopterans possess compound eyes, consisting of numerous small visual units called ommatidia. Each ommatidium acts as an individual photoreceptive unit, collectively providing a panoramic view

Functional morphology of cleaning devices in the damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)

• Silvana Piersanti,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Wencke Krings,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Manuela Rebora

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1260–1272, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.102

• , from vertebrates to arthropods, with early evolutionary origins (reviews in [1][2]). Despite the distant evolutionary relationship between vertebrates and insects, their grooming behaviors serve multiple and similar purposes, such as body cleaning and disease prevention, distribution of substances

• are typically located on the legs and are associated with complex grooming behaviors that vary greatly across arthropods [20]. Numerous studies on flies [21][22], wasps [23], mantids [24], and crickets [25] indicate that grooming behavior often falls into two distinct clusters. The anterior cluster

The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• as well. Nevertheless, pad compliance and deflation likely have a stronger effect in this experiment as discussed below. Other studies reported lowest forces on 1 µm and higher forces on 12 µm roughness for adhesion and traction in other arthropods [59][60]. This effect was presumably due to

• system to statically hold the insect’s weight on the ceiling. Apart from insects, roughness plays a role in adhesion of non-arthropods as well. Roughnesses of 100–300 nm had the largest attachment-reducing effect for both single setae and whole geckos in experiments with the species Gekko gecko (Linnaeus

Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales

• Guillermo J. Amador,
• Brett Klaassen van Oorschot,
• Caiying Liao,
• Jianing Wu and
• Da Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 664–677, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.55

• review include the hair and fur of mammals, the feathers of birds, the trichomes of plants, the setae of arthropods, and the ultrastructures of single-celled organisms. Figure 1A shows how the total hair mass mh scales with body mass mb. For mh, a material density of 1 g·cm−3 was assumed. A relationship

• are then transmitted to the nervous system. The brain interprets these electrical signals as a specific scent or flavor after they are processed by the nervous system [143]. Arthropods, including spiders [144], ants [145], and bees [146], possess chemical receptors on their limbs and antennae that

• may be triggered by either mechanical or thermal energy [158]. Hygrosensation Studies have also shown that hairs exhibit heightened sensitivity to changes in humidity levels, enabling arthropods to discern variations in air humidity with remarkable precision. There are three potential mechanisms for

Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications

• Hendrik Bargel,
• Vanessa T. Trossmann,
• Christoph Sommer and
• Thomas Scheibel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 902–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.81

• a silk fibre, the unordered amorphous regions with less hydrogen bond density induce flexibility [109]. Besides considerable variations in arthropods, the silk of silkworms and related moths, and that of orb-weaving spiders share some features. Their silk proteins are often of high molecular weight

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• diversity in insects [47]. A key feature for mobility, next to the evolution of wings, is the evolution of a segmented leg in arthropods [48]. These paired, articulated appendages, in combination with the hardened exoskeleton, served for both Arthropoda and insects, in particular, as a tool to become

A comparison of tarsal morphology and traction force in the two burying beetles Nicrophorus nepalensis and Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

• Liesa Schnee,
• Benjamin Sampalla,
• Josef K. Müller and
• Oliver Betz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 47–61, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.5

• of hairy tarsal adhesive systems, such as those in leaf beetles [42] and other arthropods [45]. Interestingly, in this context, the transverse ribbing pattern at the tips of the tenent setae of type a (cf. Figure 2) is restricted to the ventral side. If this ribbing pattern is associated with the

Bidirectional biomimetic flow sensing with antiparallel and curved artificial hair sensors

• Claudio Abels,
• Antonio Qualtieri,
• Toni Lober,
• Alessandro Mariotti,
• Lily D. Chambers,
• Massimo De Vittorio,
• William M. Megill and
• Francesco Rizzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 32–46, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.4

• sensor; biomimetics; flow direction; flow sensing; robotics; Introduction Biological lateral line organ Flow sensors in nature often have a morphological polarity, such as the hair cell sensors in the lateral line of fish [1], in jellyfish [2], arthropods [3][4] and crickets [5][6][7][8], as well as the

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• about 95% of all species, vastly outnumbering their vertebrate counterparts [1][5]. Well-known invertebrate species include insects, crustaceans, snails, clams, octopuses, spiders, jellyfish, starfish, worms, and coral. Within the invertebrates, the subset of arthropods is of particular interest and

• accounts for approximately 85% of species variation [1][2][5]. Arthropods are characterized by segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and appendages occurring in pairs. This includes all insects, arachnids (spiders), myriapods (e.g., millipedes and centipedes), and crustaceans (e.g., crabs and shrimp) [25]. Using

• ability of B-cells and T-cells to recognize and respond to specific microbial threats. Invertebrate hard tissue: Whereas vertebrates use an endoskeleton for structural support and dermal layers for protection, invertebrates known as arthropods use an exoskeleton. Arthropods are the most diverse grouping

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• geckoes [10][11][12][13] and spiders [14]. For small arthropods these conditions may highly vary micro-spatially, especially in the boundary layer of plant leaves [15]. Furthermore, on most surfaces there is an adsorbed film of water molecules, with a thickness and mechanical properties highly influenced

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• exoskeletons of arthropods. It is composed of randomly orientated coiled polypeptide chains that are covalently cross-linked together at regular intervals by the two unusual amino acids dityrosine and trityrosine forming a stable network with a high degree of flexibility and mobility. As a result of its

• elastomeric proteins existing in arthropods. The first description of resilin, which has often been called rubber-like protein, was based on analyses of three different insect exoskeleton elements: the wing hinge and the prealar arm of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) (also described for the

Comparative kinematical analyses of Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) snap traps

• Simon Poppinga,
• Tim Kampowski,
• Amélie Metzger,
• Olga Speck and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 664–674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.59

• prey is being caught in nature. In traps of our cultivated seedlings we often observed remnants of arthropods (Figure 5c), indicating successful prey capture and digestion as investigated in detail by Hatcher and Hart [15]. The angle between the lobes of seedling traps is small (Figure 5a), which is

Aquatic versus terrestrial attachment: Water makes a difference

• Petra Ditsche and
• Adam P. Summers

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2424–2439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.252

• aquatic arthropods or sea stars, use alternating attachment for locomotion or for short-time fixation (temporary attachment) and are called motile or mobile. An intermediate form between temporary and permanent attachment can be found, for example, in many marine larvae, allowing them to explore possible

• water make it harder to bring surfaces into close apposition. Most arthropods living in flowing water have well-developed tarsal claws, with which they hold onto rough surfaces [56]. These claws show a variety of different shapes and sizes (Figure 10) and are the most common attachment devices of

• outwardly directed. The lock principle is not very suitable for attachment to substrates as it needs two specialized surfaces, but very common for the connection of body parts or during copulation [2]. In marine environment claws are found in many arthropods. While the immersion itself does not show

Physical principles of fluid-mediated insect attachment - Shouldn’t insects slip?

• Jan-Henning Dirks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1160–1166, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.127

• : adhesion; friction; insect biomechanics; tribology; Review How do insects adhere to surfaces? More than 80% of the animal species in the world are arthropods [1], and amongst them insects can be considered probably the evolutionarily most successful group. For hundreds of millions of years they are

• inhabiting almost every part of the world, and different species have developed adaptations to environments with a wide range of temperatures, humidities and substrates. For a long time the ability of insects and other arthropods to effortlessly walk up and down all kinds of natural and artificial surfaces

• of claws is limited to compliant surfaces in which the claws can insert, or rough surfaces with asperities larger than the diameter of the claw tip [15]. Hence, to stick to smooth and stiff natural substrates, such as stones or leaves, insects and other arthropods have to use adhesive pads (Figure 1

Fibrillar adhesion with no clusterisation: Functional significance of material gradient along adhesive setae of insects

• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Alexander E. Filippov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 837–845, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.95

• various lineages of arthropods. Keywords: adhesion; attachment; biomechanics; computer modelling; cuticle; locomotion; material; surface; Introduction The contact formation of insect adhesive pads on various substrates depends on the pad ability to adapt to different surface topographies. The quality of

• stiff bases (long upstream gradient) and fibers with stiff tips on the soft bases (downstream gradient). Such short upstream gradients were recently described in beetles [12], however, we can predict that similar gradients must have been convergently evolved in various lineages of arthropods. Morphology