ArticleThe Journal of experimental biology2022
Bats actively modulate membrane compliance to control camber and reduce drag.
Article in The Journal of experimental biology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Conversion efficiency of flight power is low, but increases with flight speed in the migratory batProceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Wing extension-flexion coupled aeroelastic effects improve avian gliding performance.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Article
- The Influence of Wing Membrane Elasticity on Aerodynamics in a Bat-Inspired Flapping Robot.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Highly deformable flapping membrane wings suppress the leading edge vortex in hover to perform better.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Shape change in the saddle region of the equine back during trot and walk.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2024Article
- The spatiotemporal richness of hummingbird wing deformations.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
- Effects of tag mass on the physiology and behaviour of common noctule bats.Movement ecology · 2024Article
- Rapid flapping and fibre-reinforced membrane wings are key to high-performance bat flight.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2023Article
- Lessons from natural flight for aviation: then, now and tomorrow.The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Review
- Emerging biological insights enabled by high-resolution 3D motion data: promises, perspectives and pitfalls.The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
- Power requirements for bat-inspired flapping flight with heavy, highly articulated and cambered wings.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Bat wing skin is exceptionally compliant and cambers significantly during flight. Plagiopatagiales proprii, arrays of small muscles embedded in the armwing membrane, are activated during flight and are hypothesized to modulate membrane tension. We examined the function of these muscles using Jamaican fruit bats, Artibeus jamaicensis. When these muscles were paralyzed using botulinum toxin, the bats preferred flight speed decreased and they were unable to fly at very low speeds. Paralysis of the plagiopatagiales also resulted in increased armwing camber consistent with a hypothesized role of modulating aeroelastic interactions. Other compensatory kinematics included increased downstroke angle and increased wingbeat amplitude. These results are consistent with the bats experiencing increased drag and flight power costs associated with the loss of wing-membrane control. Our results indicate that A. jamaicensis likely always employ their wing membrane muscles during sustained flight to control camber and to enhance flight efficiency over a wide flight envelope.
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Registered trials
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