Fire Beetle Research Articles

Hunting with heat: thermosensory-driven foraging in mosquitoes, snakes and beetles.

Animals commonly use thermosensation, the detection of temperature and its variation, for defensive purposes: to maintain appropriate body temperature and to avoid tissue damage. However, some animals also use thermosensation to go on the offensive: to hunt for food. The emergence of heat-dependent foraging behavior has been accompanied by the evolution of diverse thermosensory organs of often exquisite thermosensitivity. These organs detect the heat energy emitted from food sources that range from nearby humans to trees burning in a forest kilometers away. Here, we examine the biophysical considerations, anatomical specializations and molecular mechanisms that underlie heat-driven foraging. We focus on three groups of animals that each meet the challenge of detecting heat from potential food sources in different ways: (1) disease-spreading vector mosquitoes, which seek blood meals from warm-bodied hosts at close range, using warming-inhibited thermosensory neurons responsive to conductive and convective heat flow; (2) snakes (vipers, pythons and boas), which seek warm-blooded prey from ten or more centimeters away, using warmth-activated thermosensory neurons housed in an organ specialized to harvest infrared radiation; and (3) fire beetles, which maximize their offspring's feeding opportunities by seeking forest fires from kilometers away, using mechanosensory neurons housed in an organ specialized to convert infrared radiation into mechanosensory stimuli. These examples highlight the diverse ways in which animals exploit the heat emanating from potential food sources, whether this heat reflects ongoing metabolic activity or a recent lightning strike, to secure a nutritious meal for themselves or for their offspring.

Neuroanatomy and functional morphology of peripheral receptor neurones with direct projections into the protocerebrum of the brains of the locust and a jewel beetle

AbstractProjections from peripheral receptors directly into the protocerebrum of insects have only been little studied. Retrograde staining of nerves from the antennae, maxillary palps and legs has revealed some fibres that project into the central areas of the protocerebrum. In the case of the antennae and palps, it was not known which receptors were responsible for these projections. In the legs of locusts, multipolar neurons (MN) with characteristic terminal dendritic masses (TDM) have been described to project into a neuropil called “superior ventral inferior protocerebrum” (SVIP). However, such neurons have only been found in the abdominal infrared organs of the Australian fire beetle Merimna atrata, where they function as thermoreceptors. In several orthopterans, fibres from the antennae and palps also project into the SVIP. The present work suggests that the multipolar neuron from the infrared organ of Merimna also projects into the protocerebrum, possibly into a ventral region functionally analogous to the SVIP. No MNs but single scolopidia were found in the tips of the antennae and palps of locusts, apparently responsible for projections into the SVIP, where they probably function as receptors for haemolymph pressure.

Bio-Inspirations - Melanophila Acuminata can Sense and Detect Forest Fires

Abstract: Forest-fires are caused due to various factors including natural ones, such as hot lightning striking the ignitable trees, and human ones such as negligent use of fire or fire-causing products like cigarettes and explosives, disruptive machinery deployed within the forest, etc. The spread of these fires, however, is largely determined by parameters such as temperature, wind, relative humidity, and rain; unsurprisingly, the most prominent of these factors is the temperature. Detection of anomalies in the temperature can be a crucial indication towards the possibility of a fire, therefore enabling a potentially quicker response and minimising the loss of land and other resources, besides human life. A specific beetle called the Fire Beetle, or the melanophila acuminata, is known to have evolved with a collection of sensors which can detect IR radiation with remarkable sensitivity, even from long distances. These beetles can potentially sense the emergence of a fire from as long as a few miles away. Since early detection of forest-fires is a decisive step towards dealing with it, taking inspiration from melanophila acuminata can be a way of doing so.

Cretophengodidae, a new Cretaceous beetle family, sheds light on the evolution of bioluminescence.

Bioluminescent beetles of the superfamily Elateroidea (fireflies, fire beetles, glow-worms) are the most speciose group of terrestrial light-producing animals. The evolution of bioluminescence in elateroids is associated with unusual morphological modifications, such as soft-bodiedness and neoteny, but the fragmentary nature of the fossil record discloses little about the origin of these adaptations. We report the discovery of a new bioluminescent elateroid beetle family from the mid-Cretaceous of northern Myanmar (ca 99 Ma), Cretophengodidae fam. nov. Cretophengodes azari gen. et sp. nov. belongs to the bioluminescent lampyroid clade, and would appear to represent a transitional fossil linking the soft-bodied Phengodidae + Rhagophthalmidae clade and hard-bodied elateroids. The fossil male possesses a light organ on the abdomen which presumably served a defensive function, documenting a Cretaceous radiation of bioluminescent beetles coinciding with the diversification of major insectivore groups such as frogs and stem-group birds. The discovery adds a key branch to the elateroid tree of life and sheds light on the evolution of soft-bodiedness and the historical biogeography of elateroid beetles.

Wood Fire Detection by Imitating Beetle Olfaction with Gas Sensors

1. Abstract Volatile organic compound (VOC) based fire risk assessment systems for wood land fires can shorten the time between the outbreak of a fire and the arrival of fire crews. This can prevent the development of crown fires, which are harder to control than ground fires. Metal-oxide semiconductor gas sensors derive of good technical properties for VOC detection. In this study, the VOC emissions of heated lignocellulose biomass (Eucalyptus globulus) were analyzed by GC-MS. Eucalyptol and furfural showed the highest emission rates. All of the 20 identified VOCs were tested on the antenna of the fire beetle Merimna atrata and eucalyptol and furfural both were among the 13 VOCs that were significantly electrophysiological active on the antenna of the beetle. Three semi-conductor metal oxide gas sensors allowed a monitoring of the temperature dependent VOC pattern. The feasibility of such gas sensors for early fire detection is discussed. 2. Keywords: <span style=mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-ansi-language:en-us=> Electrophysiology; Eucalyptol; Fire risk assessment; Furfural; Insect olfaction; Merimna atrata; Semi-conductor metal oxide gas sensors; VOC; 2-methoxyphenol α-pinene

Near-Infrared Trigged Stimulus-Responsive Photonic Crystals with Hierarchical Structures.

Stimuli-responsive photonic crystals (PCs) trigged by light would provide a novel intuitive and quantitative method for noninvasive detection. Inspired by the flame-detecting aptitude of fire beetles and the hierarchical photonic structures of butterfly wings, we herein developed near-infrared stimuli-responsive PCs through coupling photothermal Fe3O4 nanoparticles with thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), with hierarchical photonic structured butterfly wing scales as the template. The nanoparticles within 10 s transferred near-infrared radiation into heat that triggered the phase transition of PNIPAM; this almost immediately posed an anticipated effect on the PNIPAM refractive index and resulted in a composite spectrum change of ∼26 nm, leading to the direct visual readout. It is noteworthy that the whole process is durable and stable mainly owing to the chemical bonding formed between PNIPAM and the biotemplate. We envision that this biologically inspired approach could be utilized in a broad range of applications and would have a great impact on various monitoring processes and medical sensing.

Towards Improved Airborne Fire Detection Systems Using Beetle Inspired Infrared Detection and Fire Searching Strategies

Every year forest fires cause severe financial losses in many countries of the world. Additionally, lives of humans as well as of countless animals are often lost. Due to global warming, the problem of wildfires is getting out of control; hence, the burning of thousands of hectares is obviously increasing. Most important, therefore, is the early detection of an emerging fire before its intensity becomes too high. More than ever, a need for early warning systems capable of detecting small fires from distances as large as possible exists. A look to nature shows that pyrophilous “fire beetles” of the genus Melanophila can be regarded as natural airborne fire detection systems because their larvae can only develop in the wood of fire-killed trees. There is evidence that Melanophila beetles can detect large fires from distances of more than 100 km by visual and infrared cues. In a biomimetic approach, a concept has been developed to use the surveying strategy of the “fire beetles” for the reliable detection of a smoke plume of a fire from large distances by means of a basal infrared emission zone. Future infrared sensors necessary for this ability are also inspired by the natural infrared receptors of Melanophila beetles.

Biomimetic-Inspired Infrared Sensors from Zn3P2 Microwires: Study of Their Photoconductivity and Infrared Spectrum Properties

The fire beetle, Melanophila acuminata (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), senses infrared radiation at wavelengths of 3 and 10–25 microns via specialized protein-containing sensilla. Although the protein denatures outside of a biological system, this detection mechanism has inspired our bottom-up approach to produce single zinc phosphide microwires via vapour transport for IR sensing. The Zn3P2 microwires were immobilized and electrical contact was made by dielectrophoresis. Photoconductivity measurements have been extended to the near IR range, spanning the Zn3P2 band gaps. Purity and integrity of the Zn3P2 microwires including infrared light scattering properties were confirmed by infrared transmission microscopy. This biomimetic microwire shows promise for infrared chip development.

The olfaction of a fire beetle leads to new concepts for early fire warning systems

The European fire beetle Melanophila cuspidata oviposits on stems damaged by fire to provide its xylophagous larvae with nutrition. We investigated the beetle's ability to estimate the heating stage of the wood beneath the charred bark by means of volatiles. Such biologically preselected volatiles can enable a reliable differentiation between fresh, heated, and burned wood and can be used for early fire warning systems. 25 compounds of heated pine wood chips (Pinus sylvestris) were identified and quantified by GC–MS. Electrophysiological experiments (GC–MS/EAD, EAG) and behavioral studies with M. cuspidata revealed eight electrophysiologically active and behaviorally attractive compounds. Furfural was selected as a marker volatile for heated wood and a nanoporous semiconductor metal oxide gas sensor was developed for the detection of this compound. In a burning chamber, this sensor detected furfural at low concentration prior to the ignition of pine wood chips (P. sylvestris). The furfural emission in this chamber was monitored simultaneously by an online mass-spectrometer. The utilization of M. cuspidata as an information filter for marker volatile selection and the feasibility of the nanoporous sensor for early fire warning systems in the wood processing industry are discussed.

Dynamically Tunable Protein Microlenses

Proteins have been utilized in numerous photonic and optoelectronic devices, for example, in optical computation, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), waveguides, biomicro/nanolasers, organic field effect transistors (OFETs), and memory devices, because their unique optical, mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties are easily tailored to each application. The performance of as-prepared proteinbased photonic devices has been demonstrated to exceed that of devices that are made with currently available organic materials. The underlying motivation for the use of proteins in microdevices is not only abundance, inexpensiveness, and biodegradability, but also biocompatibility and the capacity to tune their properties through appropriate external stimuli. These features are highly desirable for biologically inspired microdevices, for example delicate miniaturized lenses that are similar to the “camera-type” eyes of human beings, the compound eyes of insects, the photosensitive microlens arrays of brittlestars, or the infrared-sensitive microlens receptor arrays of the fire beetle (Melanophila acuminata). Scientists have been highly motivated to fabricate these lens-like micro/nanostructures with the aim of producing small, multifunctional, artificial eyes by using dynamically adjustable and fully biocompatible proteins. However, the preparation of protein microlenses that have controlled geometry and precise positioning still poses a challenge. Herein, we report a promising approach for the production of biomimetic protein microlenses by facile and rapid maskless femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). FsLDW is a well-known method for producing complicated 3D structures with nanometric resolution. Recently, pioneering work from Shear and co-workers demonstrated that protein hydrogel-based microstructures fabricated by FsLDWexhibit a unique responsiveness to chemical signals. This responsiveness could result in rapid and reversible changes in the size and shape of the structures after stimulation by environmental triggers. However, to our knowledge there are few reports on the development of practical and useful devices, such as a tunable microlens, that are made from this class of proteins. In this study, commercial bovine serum albumin (BSA, 300–500 mgmL 1 in aqueous solution) and a photosensitizer (methylene blue, MB, 0.6 mgmL ) were used to fabricate micro/nanoarchitectures. The cross-linking reaction is initiated through the excitation of photosensitive molecules to their triplet states. The photoexcited molecules then react directly with oxidizable moieties (type I process) or transfer the energy to ground state molecular oxygen (type II process) to form a reactive oxygen species, such as singlet oxygen (O2). In either case, excited-state intermediates catalyze the inter or intramolecular covalent cross-linking of oxidizable protein residues (see Scheme S1 in the Supporting Information). In other words, proteins with photooxidizable groups, such as Tyr, Trp, His, Met, and Cys, can absorb infrared or UV light to form reactive or ionized species that are capable of cross-linking with other oxidizable moieties. This mechanism appears to play a role in the formation of some types of cataracts and in the aging of skin. BSA and other proteins with oxidizable side chains “inherit” this photo-cross-linking ability, and can thus be used for multiphoton fabrication (Figure 1). Proof-of-concept protein microlenses were fabricated by using a FsLDW system of our own construction (Figure 1). The system was composed of a femtosecond titanium/ sapphire laser (Spectra Physics 3960-X1BB), a piezo stage with a precision of 1 nm (Physik Instrumente P-622.ZCD), and a set of two galvano mirrors. The 3D shapes of the microstructures were designed by using 3Ds Max and then the designs were converted into computer processing programs. Prior to the photo-cross-linking of the proteins at the focal spot, the beam from the femtosecond laser (80 MHz repetition rate, 120 fs pulse width, 780 nm central wavelength) was tightly focused by a high-numerical-aperture (NA= 1.35) oilimmersion objective lens (60 ). The horizontal and vertical scanning movements of the focused laser spot were achieved simultaneously by the two-galvano-mirror set and the piezo stage. After cross-linking, the sample was rinsed in water several times to remove unreacted proteins. Then the asformed protein microstructures were left on the chip. Surface topography (shape and roughness) plays an important role in the optical properties of protein microoptics. However, the surface roughness of BSA microstruc[*] Y. L. Sun, Prof. Dr. W. F. Dong, R. Z. Yang, X. Meng, L. Zhang, Prof. Dr. Q. D. Chen, Prof. Dr. H. B. Sun State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics College of Electronic Science and Engineering Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street Changchun 130012 (China) E-mail: dongwf@jlu.edu.cn hbsun@jlu.edu.cn

Bioinspired Material Approaches to Sensing

AbstractBioinspired design is an engineering approach that involves working to understand the design principles and strategies employed by biology in order to benefit the development of engineered systems. From a materials perspective, biology offers an almost limitless source of novel approaches capable of arousing innovation in every aspect of materials, including fabrication, design, and functionality. Here, recent and ongoing work on the study of bioinspired materials for sensing applications is presented. Work presented includes the study of fish flow receptor structures and the subsequent development of similar structures to improve flow sensor performance. The study of spider air‐flow receptors and the development of a spider‐inspired flexible hair is also discussed. Lastly, the development of flexible membrane based infrared sensors, highly influenced by the fire beetle, is presented, where a pneumatic mechanism and a thermal‐expansion stress‐mediated buckling‐based mechanism are investigated. Other areas that are discussed include novel biological signal filtering mechanisms and reciprocal benefits offered through applying the biology lessons to engineered systems.

BEETLES `HEAR' HEAT THROUGH PRESSURE VESSELS

For most creatures, fire is a complete disaster. It is hard to see how anything benefits when an inferno sweeps through a forest: except for the fire beetles, Melanophila acuminata . They are the first to occupy a scorched site, converging in their millions from distances of up to 10 km. Free of

Morphology of a thermosensitive multipolar neuron in the infrared organ of Merimna atrata (Coleoptera, Buprestidae)

Two pairs of infrared (IR) organs are situated ventrolaterally on the second and third abdominal sternites of the Australian fire beetle Merimna atrata (Buprestidae). In ventral view, each IR organ has a round IR absorbing area under which a sensory complex is attached to the epidermis. The main component of the complex is a single large multipolar neuron and its mass of highly branched dendrites. All parts of this neuron are enveloped in glial cells. The proximal primary dendrites, which arise from the soma, finally branch into several hundred tightly packed terminal dendrites, which contain many mitochondria. We term this unusual morphology of the dendritic region a terminal dendritic mass (TDM). Additionally, two chordotonal organs were found in each sensory complex. Their somata are integrated in the complex and the dendrites extend to the periphery of the absorbing area. The bauplan of the dendritic region is reminiscent of the thermosensitive trigeminal nerve fibers innervating the absorbing structures in the IR receptors in boid and crotalid snakes. Because this multipolar neuron also functions as a thermoreceptor, another example of a functional analogy between insect and vertebrate sensory systems could be demonstrated.