How does the Namib Desert beetle inspire water collection technology?
Similarly, Namib desert beetles have no easy access to water but acquire water from thin air by leaning into the wind to capture droplets of water from the fog with their textured body armour. This allows the moisture to accumulate and drip into their mouths. When the Namib Desert beetle (Stenocara gracilipes) fog basks, water droplets hit its abdomen and roll down its body. Researchers have spent decades trying to discover how the insect’s surface transports the droplets to its mouth. But first, the beetle must collect the droplets.The namib desert beetle collects moisture from fog by tilting its body to create a water-catching surface, an adaptation that ensures survival in one of the driest places on earth.The beetles extract water from fog using a pattern of bumps and channels on their shells. The bumps are hydrophilic (water loving) and the channels are hydrophobic (water fearing), working in tandem to harvest water from the air.Water beetles can be either herbivores, predators, or scavengers. Herbivorous beetles eat only aquatic vegetation, such as algae or leaves. They might also suck juices out the stem of a plant nearby. Scavenger beetles will feed on decomposing organic material that has been deposited.
What are the adaptations of the Namib Desert beetle?
The Namib Desert beetle collects moisture from fog by tilting its body to create a water-catching surface, an adaptation that ensures survival in one of the driest places on Earth. Bugs and beetles can’t hold their breath underwater like we do. But some aquatic insects can spend their whole adult lives underwater.Beetles can survive their entire lives without drinking any liquid water whatsoever. Instead, they suck water from the air with their rear ends. Insect pests eat their way through thousands of tons of food around the world every year.Generally, these water bugs are not harmful to humans; however, some will bite swimmers. Not only are they a nuisance, it is embarrassing to the pool owner as a sign of neglect.
What special abilities do beetles have?
Most beetles can fly, although they do so in a slow, clumsy manner. Water beetles are good swimmers, and many can fly as well. Some beetles that live in deserts have lost the ability to fly. All beetles have jointed legs, but leg shape and size varies, depending on the beetle’s lifestyle. Beetles are important as they provide a whole variety of ecosystem services. They are predators of crop pests, dung beetles and carrion beetles help keep ecosystems clean and many beetles are important pollinators especially in the tropics.The insects’ ability to fold their flight wings, origami-like, under protective forewings called elytra allows beetles to squeeze into rocky crevices and burrow inside trees. Beetles’ knack for thriving in a large range of microhabitats could also help explain their abundance of species, scientists say.Beetles play an important ecological role both as predators of pests and as pollinators. Many beetles, such as lady beetles and predaceous ground beetles, are helpful garden companions because they provide beneficial pest-control services.