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Self-Assembly of Microtubule Tactoids
08:49

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Published on: June 23, 2022

Capillary-based static self-assembly in higher organisms.

Jonathan Voise1, Michael Schindler, Jérôme Casas

  • 1Université de Tours, IRBI UMR CNRS 6035, Parc Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France. jonathan.voise@etu.univ-tours.fr

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|March 4, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Whirligig beetles exhibit static self-assembly on water, forming organized structures through capillary forces. This study is the first to demonstrate this phenomenon at the inter-organism level.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Dynamic self-assembly is common in animal groups, but static self-assembly has been limited to cellular levels.
  • Organized structures in immobile whirligig beetle groups on water surfaces were previously unstudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze organized structures in immobile whirligig beetle groups.
  • To investigate static self-assembly at the inter-organism level.
  • To understand the role of capillary interactions in beetle group formations.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical and computational modeling of meniscus and surface energy for beetle configurations.
  • Experimental testing using live whirligig beetles and resin casts.
  • Observation of configurations for groups of three or more beetles.

Main Results:

  • The meniscus of whirligig beetles was found to have a bipolar shape with two concave parts.
  • Predicted configurations based on energy minima for two beetles matched observed contact patterns (lines, arrows).
  • Groups of three or more beetles formed novel geometrical arrangements, similar to colloidal systems at interfaces.

Conclusions:

  • This study presents the first evidence of static self-assembly at the inter-organism level in whirligig beetles.
  • Capillary interactions are crucial in forming these organized beetle structures.
  • The findings have relevance within the ecological context of whirligig beetle behavior.