The insect-trapping rim of Nepenthes pitchers

Bauer, Ulrike; Federle, Walter

doi:10.4161/psb.4.11.9664

Cited by 134 publications

(106 citation statements)

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“…A strikingly similar 'aquaplaning' mechanism has been described for Nepenthes [19,21]. Similar to the pubescent H. nutans surface, the Nepenthes peristome is fully wettable and, under humid conditions, covered by a thin, stable fluid film.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

et al. 2013

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Trichomes are a common feature of plants and perform important and diverse functions. Here, we show that the inward-pointing hairs on the inner wall of insect-trapping Heliamphora nutans pitchers are highly wettable, causing water droplets to spread rapidly across the surface. Wetting strongly enhanced the slipperiness and increased the capture rate for ants from 29 to 88 per cent. Force measurements and tarsal ablation experiments revealed that wetting affected the insects' adhesive pads but not the claws, similar to the 'aquaplaning' mechanism of (unrelated) Asian Nepenthes pitcher plants. The inward-pointing trichomes provided much higher traction when insects were pulled outwards. The wetnessdependent capture mechanisms of H. nutans and Nepenthes pitchers present a striking case of functional convergence, whereas the use of wettable trichomes constitutes a previously unknown mechanism to make plant surfaces slippery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

et al. 2013

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“…As seen in Figure 10, the peristome of most Nepenthes species has a highly regular microstructure composed of first-and second-order radial ridges [49,50]. The latter ridges are much smaller and formed by straight rows of overlapping epidermal cells, which step toward inside the pitcher (anisotropic topography).…”

Section: Nepenthes Pitcher Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The liquid is then utilized as a repellent surface to cause the prey to slip into a digestive fluid, which is the plant's own production of a viscoelastic biopolymers. When the prey stands on the rim, its escape is nearly impossible [49,50]. On top of the plant, there is a lid (operculum), which keeps rain from diluting the digestive fluid in the cup.…”

Section: Nepenthes Pitcher Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This film prevents insects from standing on the surface by disabling the adhesion of their pads. Additionally, the anisotropic surface topography prevents interlocking of claws when an insect slips into the pitcher cup [49].…”

Section: Nepenthes Pitcher Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(b) Second-order ridges (r 2 ) are formed by straight rows of overlapping epidermal cells. From Bauer and Federle [49].…”

Section: Nepenthes Pitcher Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Polymeric Slippery Coatings: Nature and Applications

Samaha

Gad‐el‐Hak

2014

Polymers

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Abstract:We review recent developments in nature-inspired superhydrophobic and omniphobic surfaces. Water droplets beading on a surface at significantly high static contact angles and low contact-angle hystereses characterize superhydrophobicity. Microscopically, rough hydrophobic surfaces could entrap air in their pores resulting in a portion of a submerged surface with air-water interface, which is responsible for the slip effect. Suberhydrophobicity enhances the mobility of droplets on lotus leaves for self-cleaning purposes, so-called lotus effect. Amongst other applications, superhydrophobicity could be used to design slippery surfaces with minimal skin-friction drag for energy conservation. Another kind of slippery coatings is the recently invented slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), which are one type of omniphobic surfaces. Certain plants such as the carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher inspired SLIPS. Their interior surfaces have microstructural roughness, which can lock in place an infused lubricating liquid. The lubricant is then utilized as a repellent surface for other liquids such as water, blood, crude oil, and alcohol. In this review, we discuss the concepts of both lotus effect and Nepenthes slippery mechanism. We then present a review of recent advances in manufacturing polymeric and non-polymeric slippery surfaces with ordered and disordered micro/nanostructures. Furthermore, we discuss the performance and longevity of such surfaces. Techniques used to characterize the surfaces are also detailed. We conclude the article with an overview of the latest advances in characterizing and using slippery surfaces for different applications.

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Materials with Controllable Friction and Reversible Adhesion

2016

Biomimetic Principles and Design of Advanced Engineering Materials

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The insect-trapping rim of Nepenthes pitchers

Cited by 134 publications

References 34 publications

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

Polymeric Slippery Coatings: Nature and Applications

Materials with Controllable Friction and Reversible Adhesion

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