Tiered Mentoring Program

A Comparison of Adhesive Forces of Scansors Along the Toe Pads of Tokay Geckos (Gekko gecko) 

Dr. Peter Niewiarowski, Dr. Ali Dhinojwala (H.A. Morton Professor of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering), and Shahrzad Dehghani

Gehyra oceanica moorea.jpegWHAT WE DO

We are an interdisciplinary research group from the University of Akron studying the adhesive properties of geckos and other adhesive lizards. We study a variety of aspects of the gecko adhesive system including material properties, functional morphology, surface chemistry, performance, and behavior/physiology. These lizards can be found in a wide variety of habitats and move about on numerous surfaces that differ in roughness, softness, and chemistry. Our labs are interested in understanding how these lizards adhere to biologically-relevant surfaces, such that we can apply this information to the design of synthetic adhesives that can stick under a wide array of conditions. Here are some potential projects in development:

 

Garner2.pngPROJECTS

  • Project 1: How does the adhesive performance of isolated scansors of geckos vary as a function of their location on toepads? In this project, we will measure the adhesive force capacity of different scansors from Tokay geckos by using a custom-built friction cell.
  • Project 2: How can we study gecko adhesion by integrating microscopic techniques? Here, the adhesion of geckos will be studied by obtaining data from advanced microscopy techniques such as AFM, SEM, and Confocal Laser Microscopy.

Garner1.pngBENEFITS OF THIS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Undergraduate students in the Niewiarowski and Dhinojwala labs will gain an array of critical research skills including:

  • Reptile care and handling
  • Live animal performance measurements
  • Experimental design
  • Statistics
  • Microscopy
  • Surface characterization methods
  • Scientific writing
  • Many of the undergraduate students in our labs have been co-authors on several papers published in peer-reviewed journals (see below)!

 

PUBLICATIONS Garner3.png

*Denotes undergraduate student author

Niewiarowski, P. H., Lopez, S., Ge, L., Hagan, E.* and Dhinojwala, A. (2008). Sticky gecko feet: the role of temperature and humidity. PLoS. ONE 3, e2192.

Niewiarowski, P. H., Stark, A., McClung, B.*, Chambers, B.* and Sullivan, T.* (2012). Faster but Not Stickier: Invasive House Geckos Can Out-Sprint Resident Mournful Geckos in Moorea, French Polynesia. J. Herpetol. 46, 194-197.

Stark, A. Y., Sullivan, T. W.* and Niewiarowski, P. H. (2012). The effect of surface water and wetting on gecko adhesion. J. Exp. Biol. 215, 3080-6.

Stark, A. Y., Badge, I., Wucinich, N. A.*, Sullivan, T. W.*, Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2013). Surface wettability plays a significant role in gecko adhesion underwater. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110, 6340-5.

Stark, A. Y., Wucinich, N. A.*, Paoloni, E. L.*, Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2014). Self-drying: a gecko’s innate ability to remove water from wet toe pads. PLoS ONE 9, e101885.

Stark, A. Y., McClung, B.*, Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2014). Reduction of water surface tension significantly impacts gecko adhesion underwater. Integr. Comp. Biol 54, 1026-33.

Badge, I., Stark, A. Y., Paoloni, E. L.*, Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2014). The role of surface chemistry in adhesion and wetting of gecko toe pads. Scientific Reports 4, 6643.

Stark, A. Y., Ohlemacher, J.*, Knight, A.* and Niewiarowski, P. H. (2015). Run don’t walk: locomotor performance of geckos on wet substrates. J. Exp. Biol. 218, 2435-41. 

Stark, A. Y., Palecek, A. M.*, Argenbright, C. W., Bernard, C.*, Brennan, A. B., Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2015). Gecko adhesion on wet and dry patterned substrates. PLoS. ONE 10, e0145756.

Stark, A. Y., Dryden, D. M., Olderman, J.*, Peterson, K. A., Niewiarowski, P. H., French, R. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2015). Adhesive interactions of geckos with wet and dry fluoropolymer substrates. J. R. Soc. Interface 12, 20150464.

Stark, A. Y., Subarajan, S.*, Jain, D., Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2016). Superhydrophobicity of the gecko toe pad: biological optimization versus laboratory maximization. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 374, 20160184.

Klittich, M. R., Wilson, M. C., Bernard, C.*, Rodrigo, R. M.*, Keith, A. J.*, Niewiarowski, P. H. and Dhinojwala, A. (2017). Influence of substrate modulus on gecko adhesion. Scientific Reports 7, 43647.

Garner, A. M.*, Stark, A. Y., Thomas, S. A. and Niewiarowski, P. H. (2017). Geckos go the Distance: Water’s Effect on the Speed of Adhesive Locomotion in Geckos. J. Herpetol.51, 240-244.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Niewiarowski's research. Click here to learn more about Dr. Dhinojwala's research.