Locomotor performance of insects with rudimentary wings

Marden, James H.; Kramer, Melissa G.

doi:10.1038/377332a0

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…We have examined the locomotor behavior of 23 species of stoneflies from 11 families on 4 continents (North America, South America, Europe, and Australia). Descriptions of these behaviors and the methods used to examine skimming are published elsewhere (3)(4)(5)7). High-speed video recordings (500 frames per second) of distinct forms of surface skimming are available at http:͞͞www.bio.psu.edu͞People͞ Faculty͞Marden͞PNASFig2.html.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How can tiny wings, simple wing hinges, and weak muscles provide a functional advantage over no wings at all? A novel solution to this riddle was recently provided by the discovery of surface skimming, a nonflying form of aerodynamic locomotion used by certain stoneflies (Plecoptera) and mayflies (Ephemeroptera) to move in two dimensions across water surfaces (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). By flapping their wings or by using them as nonflapping sails while their weight is supported by water, skimmers can achieve effective aerodynamic locomotion even with small wings and weak flight muscles (3,4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surface skimming is now widely accepted as a plausible mechanical model for flight evolution (8)(9)(10)(11), but there is considerably less support for the suggestion (3,4) that skimming in modern stoneflies is a retained ancestral trait. Many pterygote insects have lost the ability to fly, including numerous stonefly species that are wingless or possess greatly reduced wings.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary trends in stonefly wing structure and locomotor behavior

Thomas

Walsh

Wolf

et al. 2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Insects in the order Plecoptera (stoneflies) use a form of two-dimensional aerodynamic locomotion called surface skimming to move across water surfaces. Because their weight is supported by water, skimmers can achieve effective aerodynamic locomotion even with small wings and weak flight muscles. These mechanical features stimulated the hypothesis that surface skimming may have been an intermediate stage in the evolution of insect flight, which has perhaps been retained in certain modern stoneflies. Here we present a phylogeny of Plecoptera based on nucleotide sequence data from the small subunit rRNA (18S) gene. By mapping locomotor behavior and wing structural data onto the phylogeny, we distinguish between the competing hypotheses that skimming is a retained ancestral trait or, alternatively, a relatively recent loss of flight. Our results show that basal stoneflies are surface skimmers, and that various forms of surface skimming are distributed widely across the plecopteran phylogeny. Stonefly wings show evolutionary trends in the number of cross veins and the thickness of the cuticle of the longitudinal veins that are consistent with elaboration and diversification of flight-related traits. These data support the hypothesis that the first stoneflies were surface skimmers, and that wing structures important for aerial flight have become elaborated and more diverse during the radiation of modern stoneflies.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary trends in stonefly wing structure and locomotor behavior

Thomas

Walsh

Wolf

et al. 2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hydrodynamic use for what ultimately became aerodynamic structures has been proposed for ancestrally aquatic protopterygotes, as have been possibly amphibious lifestyles (116,117). Protopterygotes could also have used wing-like structures in air either to drift passively or to skim actively along water surfaces, as do many extant insect taxa (118)(119)(120)(121)(122). This behavior is probably a derived rather than a retained ancestral trait of winged insects (61,123,124).…”

Section: Origins Of Flight In Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolutionary Physiology of Animal Flight: Paleobiological and Present Perspectives

Dudley

2000

Annu. Rev. Physiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent geophysical analyses suggest the presence of a late Paleozoic oxygen pulse beginning in the late Devonian and continuing through to the late Carboniferous. During this period, plant terrestrialization and global carbon deposition resulted in a dramatic increase in atmospheric oxygen levels, ultimately yielding concentrations potentially as high as 35% relative to the contemporary value of 21%. Such hyperoxia of the late Paleozoic atmosphere may have physiologically facilitated the initial evolution of insect flight metabolism. Widespread gigantism in late Paleozoic insects and other arthropods is also consistent with enhanced oxygen flux within diffusion-limited tracheal systems. Because total atmospheric pressure increases with increased oxygen partial pressure, concurrently hyperdense conditions would have augmented aerodynamic force production in early forms of flying insects. By the late Permian, evolution of decompositional microbial and fungal communities, together with disequilibrium in rates of carbon deposition, gradually reduced oxygen concentrations to values possibly as low as 15%. The disappearance of giant insects by the end of the Permian is consistent with extinction of these taxa for reasons of asphyxiation on a geological time scale. As with winged insects, the multiple historical origins of vertebrate flight in the late Jurassic and Cretaceous correlate temporally with periods of elevated atmospheric oxygen. Much discussion of flight performance in Archaeopteryx assumes a contemporary atmospheric composition. Elevated oxygen levels in the mid-to late Mesozoic would, however, have facilitated aerodynamic force production and enhanced muscle power output for ancestral birds, as well as for precursors to bats and pterosaurs.

show abstract

“…with reduced wing length) stone£ies (Plecoptera). They proposed new interpretations of the origin of insect £ight, namely skimming the water surface (Marden & Kramer 1994) and/or sailing across it (Marden & Kramer 1995). The authors claim that these forms of locomotion are plesiomorphic traits that could represent intermediate stages in the evolution of £ight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flightlessness in mayflies and its relevance to hypotheses on the origin of insect flight

Ruffieux

Elouard²,

Sartori

1998

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Until now, only fully winged may£ies have been known. It has been proposed recently that brachyptery could be a missing link in the development of insect £ight, via sailing or skimming aquatic insects. To our knowledge, we report here the ¢rst documented case of brachyptery in may£ies. The £ightless genus Cheirogenesia is endemic to Madagascar, and the adults skim the water surface. This loss of the £ight function has induced important physiological changes, such as a shift from lipids to carbohydrates in the energy reserves used during their adult life. Comparison of wing area of living may£ies with fossil species indicates that brachyptery could have already occurred in early £ying insects (in the Permian). We argue that £ight loss in Cheirogenesia has been made possible by the lack of ¢sh predation in its natural habitats.

show abstract

Locomotor performance of insects with rudimentary wings

Cited by 40 publications

References 7 publications

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary trends in stonefly wing structure and locomotor behavior

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary trends in stonefly wing structure and locomotor behavior

The Evolutionary Physiology of Animal Flight: Paleobiological and Present Perspectives

Flightlessness in mayflies and its relevance to hypotheses on the origin of insect flight

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About