Hola,
¿eres nuevo aquí?

Regístrate gratis y conecta tu empresa con financiación pública, partners y proyectos.

Tengo cuenta

Regístrate

Ver video

MechAnt

Financiado

Cerrado

Behavioural biomechanics of insect herbivory a case study on leaf cutter ants

Insect herbivores are a dominant element in terrestrial ecosystems, and pose a continuing threat to global food security. However, little is known about a key determinant of insect herbivore success: the mechanics of plant-feeding... ver más

31/12/2026

IMPERIAL COLLEGE O...

2M€

Presupuesto del proyecto: 2M€

Líder del proyecto

IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND ME... No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.

TRL 4-5

Fecha límite participación Sin fecha límite de participación.

Ver 2 Participantes

Financiación concedida El organismo H2020 notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2019-09-30

ERC-2019-STG: ERC Starting Grant

I+D

Cerrada hace 6 años

0% 100% 100%

Información adicional privada

No hay información privada compartida para este proyecto. Habla con el coordinador.

2 Participantes

IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE...

2.00M€ | Lider

ALZAMORA PACKAGING

Conecta tu I+D

¿Tienes un proyecto y buscas un partner? Gracias a nuestro motor inteligente podemos recomendarte los mejores socios y ponerte en contacto con ellos. Te lo explicamos en este video

Proyectos interesantes

MECH-EVO-INSECT The mechanical evolution from biting chewing to piercing suc... 1M€ Cerrado

BioCapSoft Bio inspired capillary capture of viscous fluids with soft s... 166K€ Cerrado

MECHANODEVO Mechanical signals in plants from cellular mechanisms to gr... 2M€ Cerrado

JDC2023-052319-I Desarrollo de un marco teórico utilizando la teoría de varia... 72K€ Cerrado

BIOMAN Bio mechanical organisation of the modern human mandible in... 309K€ Cerrado

MUSIX Multiscale mechanical signaling in plants 2M€ Cerrado

Duración del proyecto: 87 meses Fecha Inicio: 2019-09-30
Fecha Fin: 2026-12-31

Líder del proyecto

IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND ME... No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.

TRL 4-5

Presupuesto del proyecto 2M€

Fecha límite de participación Sin fecha límite de participación.

Descripción del proyecto Insect herbivores are a dominant element in terrestrial ecosystems, and pose a continuing threat to global food security. However, little is known about a key determinant of insect herbivore success: the mechanics of plant-feeding. MechAnt proposes to transform our understanding of insect-plant relations by providing a rigorous biomechanical investigation into how insects cut leaves, using the major ecosystem engineers and principal insect pest of the New World, the leaf-cutter ants, as a model system. Specifically, MechAnt will combine the traditionally separate fields of behavioural ecology, mechanical engineering, materials science, computer vision and machine learning to investigate: (1) the mechanical and energetic constraints determining the cutting ability, and ontogeny of task choice of differently-sized workers, and hence the adaptive value of physical castes in eusocial insects; (2) the relationship between plant material properties, ease of cutting, and mandibular wear, which will reveal the key mechanical determinants of plant-herbivore species interactions; (3) the division of labour, ontogeny and demography of leaf-cutter colonies foraging on leaves of different toughness, testing the hypothesis that leaf-cutter colonies are organised according to ergonomic criteria. By integrating insights ranging from nano-scale mechanics up to whole-colony ecology, MechAnt will quantitatively link the mechanical properties of plants with the performance of individual foragers, the organisation of foraging parties, and the demography and social organisation of leaf-cutter ant colonies. The resulting understanding of the biomechanical innovations underpinning the success of the leaf-cutter ants will yield insights into the behavioural ecology of advanced plant-feeders, highlight the role of biomechanical constraints in the behaviour and evolution of herbivorous insects, and pave the way for the development of novel crop protection strategies.

Conecta tu I+D

Entra hoy

¿Olvidé mi contraseña?

Financiación

Empresas

CTIs/Universidades

Proyectos

Investigadores