Realistic 3D morphology reshapes insect heat budgets.

Area of Science:

• * Entomology
• * Biophysics
• * Thermal Biology

Background:

• * Accurate insect body size and shape are essential for biophysical models of heat exchange and thermal responses.
• * Current models often use simplified geometric solids, but their accuracy in representing complex insect forms is not well-validated.
• * Advances in 3D surface modeling offer new possibilities for assessing these assumptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To rigorously test the accuracy of traditional geometric approximations for insect body size and shape in biophysical models.
• * To quantify the errors introduced by using simplified geometric solids compared to empirical measurements.
• * To evaluate the impact of these morphological errors on insect thermoregulation models.

Main Methods:

• * Photogrammetry was used to create detailed 3D models of honey bee specimens.
• * Empirical measurements of body volume and surface area were obtained from these 3D models.
• * Error estimates from geometric methods were integrated into existing insect heat budget models.

Main Results:

• * Traditional geometric methods systematically underestimate insect body surface area and volume when compared to empirical 3D measurements.
• * These underestimations propagate non-linearly through heat budget models.
• * The relative importance of convective versus radiative heat loss is shifted by these errors, particularly at lower temperatures.

Conclusions:

• * Morphological simplifications in biophysical models can significantly distort predictions of insect heat transfer.
• * Errors in body size and surface area assumptions can bias physiological inferences, especially concerning thermoregulation.
• * Empirical 3D morphology provides a more accurate basis for refining biophysical models of insect thermal biology.