Wrinkles enhance the diffuse reflection from the dragonfly<i>Rhyothemis resplendens</i>

Nixon, M. R.; Orr, Albert G.; Vukusic, Peter

doi:10.1098/rsif.2014.0749

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The negative relationship between barb ramus curvature and glossiness is consistent with optical theory because curved (convex) surfaces scatter light more diffusely than flat surfaces, leading to lower gloss (Barkas, ; Hecht & Zajac, ). A similar effect has recently been reported in dragonfly wings (Nixon, Orr & Vukusic, ). The presence of barbules may increase diffuse scattering, which could potentially explain why reduction in barbule coverage reduced diffuse brightness and contrast gloss.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Morphological basis of glossy red plumage colours

Iskandar

Eliason

Astrop

et al. 2016

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

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Brightly coloured feathers, including the brilliant reds produced by carotenoids, are sometimes shiny in appearance. Gloss is a common property of materials and usually arises through specular reflection from smooth, flat surfaces. However, the production of gloss on red feathers has never been examined. In the present study, we compared the optical and structural properties of glossy and matte carotenoid-based red feathers of multiple species to identify the proximate basis for their glossiness. Although specular reflectance did not differ between glossy and matte feathers, diffuse reflectance was lower in glossy than in matte feathers, leading to a higher contrast gloss. Compared to matte feathers, glossy red feathers had thicker barbs with a flatter and more homogeneous morphology, consistent with expectations, as well as thicker outer keratin cortices. Moreover, glossiness was predicted by a principal component regression using these same morphological traits. We demonstrate that the gloss of carotenoid-based red feathers is produced at least in part by a smooth, flattened barb microstructure and an enhanced nanostructure, illustrating a novel colour-producing interaction that neither pigment, nor microstructure could alone attain. How the ecology and evolution of species with glossy red feather differ from those with typical matte red feathers represent rich areas for future study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Morphological basis of glossy red plumage colours

Iskandar

Eliason

Astrop

et al. 2016

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

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“…Comparison with a further 40 dragonfly and damselfly species, studied as references, did not reveal the presence of tracheae in the wing membrane ( figure 2). However, a recent study on another libellulid, Rhyothemis resplendens, also shows that a spongy matrix can be found between the two wing membrane layers, but so far there was no evidence of tracheation [26]. Why can this unique tracheal pattern be found within the wings of this particular species?…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…We conclude that Z. lanei exhibits a wing tracheal system that presumably supports the prolongation of the secretory function of hypodermal cells. Dragonfly wings often bear pigment-based and structural coloration [25,26], but to the best of our knowledge none with such an elaborate combination of melanin-filled nanolayers of the cuticle with complex arrangement of wax crystals on the membrane surface and internal nanospheres. The presence of tracheation of the wing membrane may promote further research to unravel their role and also start the search for similar cases in Insecta.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The unusual tracheal system within the wing membrane of a dragonfly

et al. 2017

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Some consider that the first winged insects had living tissue inside the wing membrane, resembling larval gills or developing wing pads. However, throughout the developmental process of the wing membrane of modern insects, cells and tracheoles in the lumen between dorsal and ventral cuticle disappear and both cuticles become fused. This process results in the rather thin rigid stable structure of the membrane. The herewith described remarkable case of the dragonfly shows that in some highly specialized wings, the membrane can still be supplemented by tracheae. Such a characteristic of the wing membrane presumably represents a strong specialization for the synthesis of melanin-filled nanolayers of the cuticle, nanospheres inside the wing membrane and complex arrangement of wax crystals on the membrane surface, all responsible for unique structural coloration.

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“…Inspired by natural organisms, researchers have achieved great progress in developing photonic materials in recent years. Many natural species, including birds, insects (especially Lepidoptera and beetles), plants, and aquatic organisms, have a striking appearance with vivid structural colors originating from elaborate photonic crystals (PCs). PCs are periodic photonic nanostructures at the visible light wavelength scale that can affect the propagation of light.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Functional Materials Inspired by Biology

Shang

et al. 2015

Advanced Optical Materials

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To learn from nature for the rational design of optical devices, the chemical and physical aspects of textures of these natural organisms should be systematically unraveled. Then the basic mechanisms as to how these structural units interact with light must be understood in depth. Finally, whether these morphologies can be fabricated by templating methods, by the current top-down methods, or by selfassembly methods should be well assessed. Up to now, biotemplating methods that take advantage of the physicochemical interactions between organic skeletons and the target solid-state materials are broadly adopted, as they are both cost and time effective. Many natural organisms have been successfully used as biotemplates to fabricate artifi cial photonic materials, including butterfl y wings, [20][21][22][23] beetles, [ 24,25 ] plant leaves, [ 26,27 ] and diatoms. [ 28,29 ] The biotemplating method can not only maintain the morphology of the natural organism, but also mimic the optical functions of the biological species. In addition, a wide range of high-quality photonic nanostructures have been fabricated using top-down methods, such as direct laser writing, photoetching, soft-lithography, and electron beam lithography. [ 10,[30][31][32] Some self-assembly systems can also provide us with novel photonic templates for the fabrication of functional materials, such as the opal structure selfassembled by polymer or silica spheres, [ 33,34 ] and some cubic phases self-assembled in block copolymer systems. [35][36][37] Inspired by natural organisms, researchers have achieved great progress in developing photonic materials in recent years. Many natural species, including birds, [ 3,38,39 ] insects (especially Lepidoptera and beetles), [ 3,[40][41][42][43] plants, [ 44,45 ] and aquatic organisms, [ 29,46 ] have a striking appearance with vivid structural colors originating from elaborate photonic crystals (PCs). PCs are periodic photonic nanostructures at the visible light wavelength scale that can affect the propagation of light. Inspired by these vivid structural colors, optical materials with photonic microstructures and brilliant color have been fabricated with applications in areas covering the cosmetics industry, [ 47 ] textile industry, [ 48 ] printing, [ 49 ] displays, [ 16 ] and security labeling. [ 5 ] As we know, structural colors originate from the interaction of light with various elaborate photonic structures, and are mainly determined by three structural parameters: the refractive index ratio, the volume fraction, and the unit cell size. [ 24 ] For certain optical systems, the photonic structural parameters can be tuned by exerting external fi elds to which the compositions are responsive, such as pH, [ 22,50 ] electromagnetic fi elds, [ 23,51 ] thermal fi elds, [ 52,53 ] gases, [ 54,55 ] and so on. By quantifying the

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Wrinkles enhance the diffuse reflection from the dragonflyRhyothemis resplendens

Cited by 21 publications

References 34 publications

Morphological basis of glossy red plumage colours

Morphological basis of glossy red plumage colours

The unusual tracheal system within the wing membrane of a dragonfly

Optical Functional Materials Inspired by Biology

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