Zusammenfassung des Vortrags
Biological systems are often complex, so that causal relationships can be difficult to identify. In some cases, the physical foundation of pertinent traits can be leveraged to overcome this hurdle. I will discuss several such examples, including the strong yet reversible adhesive pads found on the feet of many arthropods and small vertebrates, the biomechanics of plant feeding in insect herbivores, and the fracture of biological ceramics. Emerging from such studies is not only a mechanistic understanding of the remarkable performance of biological materials and structures, but also a tool to design and conduct hypothesis-driven experiments on animal behaviour, ecology and evolution.

Die weiteren Termine der Bionik-Seminarreihe:
18. Juni: Dr. Tobias Kohl, Lehrstuhl für Zoologie, Technische Universität München: „Schlangen – Was wir von der Biologie dieser faszinierenden Tiere lernen können“
25. Juni: Prof. Andrea Dung, School of Architecture, Hochschule Bremen: „Natur, Gestalt und Architektur – Lernen von der Natur als Modell für die Gestaltfindung“