TY - JOUR
T1 - Parallel mechanism composed of abdominal cuticles and muscles simulates the complex and diverse movements of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) abdomen
AU - Liang, Youjian
AU - Meng, Kuilin
AU - Zhao, Jieliang
AU - Ren, Jing
AU - Ge, Siqin
AU - Yan, Shaoze
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - The abdominal intersegmental structures allow insects, such as honey bees, dragonflies, butterflies, and drosophilae, to complete diverse behavioral movements. In order to reveal how the complex abdominal movements of these insects are produced, we use the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) as a typical insect to study the relationship between intersegmental structures and abdominal motions. Microstructure observational experiments are performed by using the stereoscope and the scanning electron microscope. We find that a parallel mechanism, composed of abdominal cuticle and muscles between the adjacent segments, produces the complex and diverse movements of the honey bee abdomen. These properties regulate multiple behavioral activities such as waggle dance and flight attitude adjustment. The experimental results demonstrate that it is the joint efforts of the muscles and membranes that connected the adjacent cuticles together. The honey bee abdomen can be waggled, expanded, contracted, and flexed with the actions of the muscles. From the view point of mechanics, a parallel mechanism is evolved from the intersegmental connection structures of the honey bee abdomen. Here, we conduct a kinematic analysis of the parallel mechanism to simulate the intersegmental abdominal motions.
AB - The abdominal intersegmental structures allow insects, such as honey bees, dragonflies, butterflies, and drosophilae, to complete diverse behavioral movements. In order to reveal how the complex abdominal movements of these insects are produced, we use the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) as a typical insect to study the relationship between intersegmental structures and abdominal motions. Microstructure observational experiments are performed by using the stereoscope and the scanning electron microscope. We find that a parallel mechanism, composed of abdominal cuticle and muscles between the adjacent segments, produces the complex and diverse movements of the honey bee abdomen. These properties regulate multiple behavioral activities such as waggle dance and flight attitude adjustment. The experimental results demonstrate that it is the joint efforts of the muscles and membranes that connected the adjacent cuticles together. The honey bee abdomen can be waggled, expanded, contracted, and flexed with the actions of the muscles. From the view point of mechanics, a parallel mechanism is evolved from the intersegmental connection structures of the honey bee abdomen. Here, we conduct a kinematic analysis of the parallel mechanism to simulate the intersegmental abdominal motions.
KW - Abdominal motion
KW - Honey bee
KW - Intersegmental structure
KW - Parallel mechanism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094684084&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa075
DO - 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa075
M3 - Article
C2 - 33098431
AN - SCOPUS:85094684084
SN - 1536-2442
VL - 20
JO - Journal of Insect Science
JF - Journal of Insect Science
IS - 5
M1 - ieaa075
ER -