Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42459022›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of experimental biology2026

Quasi-static force requirements are not sufficient to explain arolium engagement in climbing Argentine ants.

Yakun Cao, Andrew Chacon, Agasthya Valluri, Liam O'Connor Mueller, Nick Gravish

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of experimental biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Yakun CaoDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-7217-1941
Andrew ChaconDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Agasthya ValluriDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Liam O'Connor MuellerDepartment of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0772-7590
Nick GravishDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9391-2476

Funding

National Science Foundation 2048235NSF-CAREER 2048235University of California, San Diego
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) utilize adhesive pads (arolia) to climb smooth surfaces. Previous research found that ants can adjust their individual arolium engagement according to their locomotion mode. However, it remains unclear how they distribute arolium engagement across multiple limbs to climb effectively, and how arolium engagement varies within a climbing step. As the arolium is a well-known adhesive organ, we hypothesized that engagement across different legs is distributed according to the normal forces required for balancing the body during climbing. To test this, we measured Argentine ants' arolium engagement on a vertical glass surface using a frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) sensor and compared it with the required normal forces from a quasi-static model. Contrary to the required normal force, the measured arolium engagement was asymmetric between upward and downward climbing, and changed over time. Our results indicate that quasi-static force requirements are not sufficient to explain arolium engagement in climbing Argentine ants, and suggest that other factors, such as body dynamics, ant anatomy and behavioral preferences, should be included.

Indexed as

AntsLocomotionAnimalsBiomechanical PhenomenaExtremitiesAccelerationFoot adhesionLinepithema humileLocomotionTripod gait

Identifiers

PMID42459022
PMCPMC13571811

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.