Zusammenfassung des Vortrags

Carnivorous pitcher plants have evolved a staggering arsenal of specialised surfaces, fluids and structural adaptations to trap and retain their – mostly arthropod – prey. The sheer diversity of trapping structures and mechanisms within a single organ – the pitcher trap – has quickly turned them into a model organism for mechanical ecology research – the study of the biological and ecological implications of (bio-)mechanical factors. But pitcher plants are also a growing source of inspiration for technological innovations from self-cleaning, self-healing, low friction surfaces to micro-fluid transport systems and rainwater harvesting technologies. I will give an overview of the most exciting findings of 15 years of research on pitcher plant trapping mechanisms, and present an outlook on where the field might be moving over the next decade.

Die weiteren Termine der Bionik-Seminarreihe:

10 Dezember: Dr. rer. nat. Christian Hamm, Alfred Wegener Institut, Bremerhaven: „Von der Meeresbiologie über die Bionik zur High-Tech-Software – der Weg von der Idee zur Innovation“
14. Januar 2020: Dr. Bruno Stefes, Airbus Operations GmbH: „Aktive Strömungskontrolle bei Verkehrsflugzeugen“