ArticleScientific reports2021
The homogenous alternative to biomineralization: Zn- and Mn-rich materials enable sharp organismal "tools" that reduce force requirements.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mandible composition and properties in two selected praying mantises (Insecta, Mantodea).Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2026Article
- Invasive ambrosia beetles have zinc-enriched mandibles: support for the metal-prioritization hypothesis and insights into the mechanisms of metal deposition.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Zinc accumulation in the jaw of Nereis aibuhitensis.The Journal of experimental biology · 2026Article
- Zinc and hydroxyapatite co-localize during in vitro E. coli biofilms mineralization.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Beyond morphology: Material alterations as inducible defenses inJournal of biosciences · 2026Article
- Biomechanical components of the plant-insect herbivore arms race: a model test in leaf-cutter ants.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Article
- Morphology and material composition of raptorial foreleg cuticles in praying mantises Gongylus gongylodes and Sphodromantis lineola.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Behavioural biomechanics: leaf-cutter ant cutting behaviour depends on leaf edge geometry.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- The Right Tool for the Job: A Review of Insect Mouthparts as a Tool Kit for Biomimetic Studies.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Material composition and mechanical properties of the venom-injecting forcipules in centipedes.Frontiers in zoology · 2024Article
- Curving expectations: The minimal impact of structural curvature in biological puncture mechanics.Science advances · 2024Article
- Sexually selected weapons can wear out, decreasing their effectiveness in combat.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Article
- Battles between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a review.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2024Review
- The puncture mechanics: an example from the bed bugJournal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2024Article
- Desert locusts (Interface focus · 2024Article
- Mandible elemental composition and mechanical properties from distinct castes of the leafcutter antInterface focus · 2024Article
- Wear patterns of radular teeth inInterface focus · 2024Article
- Mechanical and elemental characterization of ant mandibles: consequences for bite mechanics.Interface focus · 2024Article
- Mandible mechanical properties and composition of the larval Glossosoma boltoni (Trichoptera, Insecta).Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Biomechanics of cutting: sharpness, wear sensitivity and the scaling of cutting forces in leaf-cutter ant mandibles.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
19 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We measured hardness, modulus of elasticity, and, for the first time, loss tangent, energy of fracture, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance of zinc- and manganese-enriched materials from fangs, stings and other "tools" of an ant, spider, scorpion and nereid worm. The mechanical properties of the Zn- and Mn-materials tended to cluster together between plain and biomineralized "tool" materials, with the hardness reaching, and most abrasion resistance values exceeding, those of calcified salmon teeth and crab claws. Atom probe tomography indicated that Zn was distributed homogeneously on a nanometer scale and likely bound as individual atoms to more than ¼ of the protein residues in ant mandibular teeth. This homogeneity appears to enable sharper, more precisely sculpted "tools" than materials with biomineral inclusions do, and also eliminates interfaces with the inclusions that could be susceptible to fracture. Based on contact mechanics and simplified models, we hypothesize that, relative to plain materials, the higher elastic modulus, hardness and abrasion resistance minimize temporary or permanent tool blunting, resulting in a roughly 2/3 reduction in the force, energy, and muscle mass required to initiate puncture of stiff materials, and even greater force reductions when the cumulative effects of abrasion are considered. We suggest that the sharpness-related force reductions lead to significant energy savings, and can also enable organisms, especially smaller ones, to puncture, cut, and grasp objects that would not be accessible with plain or biomineralized "tools".
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