This book is devoted to the rapidly growing area of science dealing with structure and properties of biological surfaces in their relation to particular function(s). This volume, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers various surface functions such as protection, defense, water transport, anti-wetting, self cleaning, light reflection and scattering, and acoustics. Because biological surfaces have a virtually endless potential of technological ideas for the development of new materials and systems, inspirations from biology could also be interesting for a broad range of topics in surface engineering.
Author(s): Stanislav Gorb (auth.), Prof. Stanislav N. Gorb (eds.)
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 268
Tags: Life Sciences, general;Engineering, general;Physics, general;Plant Sciences
Front Matter....Pages I-XVIII
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction Adhesion Enhancement and Reduction in Biological Surfaces....Pages 3-6
Front Matter....Pages 7-7
The Echinoderm Tube Foot and its Role in Temporary Underwater Adhesion....Pages 9-41
Mechanisms and Principles Underlying Temporary Adhesion, Surface Exploration and Settlement Site Selection by Barnacle Cyprids: A Short Review....Pages 43-65
Alternative Tasks of the Insect Arolium with Special Reference to Hymenoptera....Pages 67-103
Organs of Adhesion in Some Mountain-stream Teleosts of India: Structure-Function Relationship....Pages 105-122
Surface Characteristics of Locomotor Substrata and Their Relationship to Gekkonid Adhesion: A Case Study of Rhoptropus cf biporosus ....Pages 123-154
Front Matter....Pages 155-155
Variable Attachment to Plant Surface Waxes by Predatory Insects....Pages 157-181
The Waxy Surface in Nepenthes Pitcher Plants: Variability, Adaptive Significance and Developmental Evolution....Pages 183-203
Functional Surfaces in the Pitcher of the Carnivorous Plant Nepenthes alata : A Cryo-Sem Approach....Pages 205-238
Back Matter....Pages 239-268
