Arthropod Locomotion Flashcards
(2 cards)
Describe three things needed for flight
1) high speed, efficient, reliable motor
Slower wing beats are synchronous (timed and even), faster are asynchronous. The motor is responsible for extension, flex ion, pronation and supination and also houses accessory muscles.
2) strict baggage allowance
Less lift force required, so more easy to become and stay airborne. Minimises inertial forces (wings change direction at rapid speed to avoid collisions). Resilin in skeleton acts as a fulcrum to decrease effort required. Exoskeleton means less raw material is required, while main ting same strength and length
3) decent set of wings
Light, strong, rigid and flexible (veins act as struts, membrane acts as stays and pterostigm and veins prevent pitch)
Describe three types of drag
Surface drag: due to viscosity of fluid which sticks to objects moving through the fluid. The boundary layer and shape determines the amount of drag.
Pressure drag: streamlining, bernoullis theory: when the speed of horizontal flow through a medium increases, the pressure decreases
Induced drag: due to wing tip effects
