Surface structure and wetting characteristics of Collembola cuticles.
The cuticles of the arthropods Collembola (springtails) are known to be superhydrophobic, displaying such properties as water-repellence and plastron formation; overhanging surface structures have been suggested as the source of these properties. Superhydrophobicity is closely related to surface structuring and other surfaces with overhanging structures have been shown to possess robust superhydrophobic properties. In effort to correlate the wetting performance and surface structuring of the cuticles, from both a technical and evolutionary point of view, we investigated a selection of Collembola species including species from several families and covering habitats ranging from aquatic to very dry. The observed contact angles of wetting was in general larger than those predicted by the conventional models. Not all the studied Collembola were found to have superhydrophobic properties, indicating that superhydrophobicity is common, but not a universal trait in Collembola. Overhanging structures were found in some, but not all Collembola species with superhydrophobic cuticles; which leads to the conclusion that there is no direct link between overhanging surface structures and superhydrophobicity in Collembola.
Department of Engineering Design and Materials, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
Håkon
H
Gundersen
Department of Bioscience, University of Oslo (UIO), Oslo, Norway.
Hans Petter
HP
Leinaas
Department of Engineering Design and Materials, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
Christian
C
Thaulow
D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013045:Species Specificity; D013499:Surface Properties; D017155:Wettability