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Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect

Author

Listed:
  • Elio J. Challita

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Prateek Sehgal

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Rodrigo Krugner

    (San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center)

  • M. Saad Bhamla

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Food consumption and waste elimination are vital functions for living systems. Although how feeding impacts animal form and function has been studied for more than a century since Darwin, how its obligate partner, excretion, controls and constrains animal behavior, size, and energetics remains largely unexplored. Here we study millimeter-scale sharpshooter insects (Cicadellidae) that feed exclusively on a plant’s xylem sap, a nutrient-deficit source (95% water). To eliminate their high-volume excreta, these insects exploit droplet superpropulsion, a phenomenon in which an elastic projectile can achieve higher velocity than the underlying actuator through temporal tuning. We combine coupled-oscillator models, computational fluid dynamics, and biophysical experiments to show that these insects temporally tune the frequency of their anal stylus to the Rayleigh frequency of their surface tension-dominated elastic drops as a single-shot resonance mechanism. Our model predicts that for these tiny insects, the superpropulsion of droplets is energetically cheaper than forming jets, enabling them to survive on an extreme energy-constrained xylem-sap diet. The principles and limits of superpropulsion outlined here can inform designs of energy-efficient self-cleaning structures and soft engines to generate ballistic motions.

Suggested Citation

  • Elio J. Challita & Prateek Sehgal & Rodrigo Krugner & M. Saad Bhamla, 2023. "Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-36376-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36376-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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