Provides a summary of the fluid dynamics of the locomotion of living organisms. Describes biological phenomena in detail from the swimming of bacteria and fish to the flying of insects and birds.
Tens of thousands of different animal species live on this planet, having survived for millions of years through adaptation and evolution, which has given them a vast variety of structures and functions. Biomechanical studies of animals swimming and flying can aid understanding of the mechanisms that enable them to move effectively and efficiently in fluids . Based on such understandings and analyses, we can aim to develop environmentally friendly machines that emulate these natu ral movements. The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 agreed major treaties on biological diversity, addressing the comb ined issues of environmental protection and fair and equitable economic development. With regard to coastal environments, increasing biological diversity has begun to play an important role in reestablishing stable and sustainable ecosystems. This approach has begun to influence research into the behavior of aquatic species, as an understanding of the history of an individual aquatic species is indispensable in constructing an environmental assessment mod el that includes the physical, chemical, and biological effects of that species . From an engineering viewpoint, studying nature's biological diversity is an opportunity to reconsider mechanical systems that were systematically constructed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. We have been accumulating knowledge of the sys tems inherent in biological creatures and using that knowledge to create new, envi ronmentally friendly technologies.
From a mechanical perspective, an animal's shape and the topological connection of its organs are important factors in locomotion. This book describes the physical relationships between form, habitat, way of life, and movement in living creatures. It includes in-depth mechanical and mathematical analyses of the way in which creatures move about, and it also investigates dispersal modes of plants and animals within the framework of flying and swimming. The book is written from the viewpoint of mechanics, specifically fluid dynamics and flight dynamics, rather than from that of physiology and ecology. It will prove a useful reference for aeronautical and mechanical engineers as well as for biologists who use mechanical analyses in the study of behaviour, function, and locomotion.
The Symposium on Swimming and Flying in Nature which was held at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California from July 8-12, 1974 was conceived with the objective of providing an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of funda mental biological and fluid mechanical aspects of these forms of natura110comotion. It was the earnest hope of all concerned in the organization of the Symposium that the exchange of knowledge and interaction of ideas from the disciplines involved would stimu late new research in this developing field. If the liveliness of the discussion generated among the 250 or so participants is any measure, then this objective was fulfilled to a significant degree. These two companion volumes contain the manuscripts of the papers presented during the Symposium. It is hoped that this permanent record will serve to perpetuate the enthusiasm and active thought generated during those days in Pasadena. The first volume contains the proceedings of the first two days of the confer ence (Sessions I to IV) which concentrated on the locomotion of micro-organisms. The second volume (Sessions V to VIII) deals with the propulsion of larger fish, insects and birds. Professor Sir James Lighthill's Special Invited Lecture which opened the Symposium is contained in the second volume, rather than the first, since it deals with natural flight.
N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock expertly craft the intersection of the lives of two girls-one, a Muslim fleeing civil war, the other, an American from the South-as they are forced to examine their beliefs and the true meaning of friendship in the midst of the president's Muslim ban. Twelve-year-old Noura Alwan's family is granted asylum in the United States, after spending two years in a Turkish refugee camp, having fled war-torn Aleppo. They land in Tampa, Florida, on January 30, 2017, just days after the president restricted entry into the US from nations with a Muslim majority population.Twelve-year-old Jordyn Johnson is a record-breaking swimmer, but hasn't swum well since her mom had a miscarriage during one of her meets. Her family has volunteered to help the Alwan family through their church. She knows very few people of Arab descent or who practice Islam.The girls' lives intersect at Bayshore Middle School where Jordyn serves as the Alwan children's school ambassador. Noura knows that her family is safe from the civil unrest in her home country, but is not prepared for the adversity she now faces on American soil. Jordyn is sympathetic to Noura's situation, but there are other members of their Florida community who see the refugees' presence to be a threat to their way of life.While the president's Muslim ban tests the resolve and faith of many, it is friendship that stands strong against fear and hatred.Award winners N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock have combined their talents to craft a heartrending Own Voices story told in dual perspectives.
This volume developed from a Workshop on Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces: Swimming, Flying, and Sliding which was held at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) at the University of Minnesota, from June 1-5, 2010. The subject matter ranged widely from observational data to theoretical mechanics, and reflected the broad scope of the workshop. In both the prepared presentations and in the informal discussions, the workshop engaged exchanges across disciplines and invited a lively interaction between modelers and observers. The articles in this volume were invited and fully refereed. They provide a representative if necessarily incomplete account of the field of natural locomotion during a period of rapid growth and expansion. The papers presented at the workshop, and the contributions to the present volume, can be roughly divided into those pertaining to swimming on the scale of marine organisms, swimming of microorganisms at low Reynolds numbers, animal flight, and sliding and other related examples of locomotion.
Biomechanics aims to explain the mechanics oflife and living. From molecules to organisms, everything must obey the laws of mechanics. Clarification of mechanics clarifies many things. Biomechanics helps us to appreciate life. It sensitizes us to observe nature. It is a tool for design and invention of devices to improve the quality of life. It is a useful tool, a simple tool, a valuable tool, an unavoidable tool. It is a necessary part of biology and engineering. The method of biomechanics is the method of engineering, which consists of observation, experimentation, theorization, validation, and application. To understand any object, we must know its geometry and materials of construc tion, the mechanical properties of the materials involved, the governing natural laws, the mathematical formulation of specific problems and their solutions, and the results of validation. Once understood, one goes on to develop applications. In my plan to present an outline of biomechanics, I followed the engineering approach and used three volumes. In the first volume, Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues, the geometrical struc ture and the rheological properties of various materials, tissues, and organs are presented. In the second volume, Biodynamics: Circulation, the physiology of blood circulation is analyzed by the engineering method.
From the rain forests of Borneo to the tenements of Manhattan, winged insects are a conspicuous and abundant feature of life on earth. Here, Robert Dudley presents the first comprehensive explanation of how insects fly. The author relates the biomechanics of flight to insect ecology and evolution in a major new work of synthesis. The book begins with an overview of insect flight biomechanics. Dudley explains insect morphology, wing motions, aerodynamics, flight energetics, and flight metabolism within a modern phylogenetic setting. Drawing on biomechanical principles, he describes and evaluates flight behavior and the limits to flight performance. The author then takes the next step by developing evolutionary explanations of insect flight. He analyzes the origins of flight in insects, the roles of natural and sexual selection in determining how insects fly, and the relationship between flight and insect size, pollination, predation, dispersal, and migration. Dudley ranges widely--from basic aerodynamics to muscle physiology and swarming behavior--but his focus is the explanation of functional design from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. The importance of flight in the lives of insects has long been recognized but never systematically evaluated. This book addresses that shortcoming. Robert Dudley provides an introduction to insect flight that will be welcomed by students and researchers in biomechanics, entomology, evolution, ecology, and behavior.
Among the fishes, a remarkably wide range of biological adaptations to diverse habitats has evolved. As well as living in the conventional habitats of lakes, ponds, rivers, rock pools and the open sea, fish have solved the problems of life in deserts, in the deep sea, in the cold antarctic, and in warm waters of high alkalinity or of low oxygen. Along with these adaptations, we find the most impressive specializations of morphology, physiology and behaviour. For example we can marvel at the high-speed swimming of the marlins, sailfish and warm-blooded tunas, air-breathing in catfish and lung fish, parental care in the mouth-brooding cichlids and viviparity in many sharks and toothcarps. Moreover, fish are of considerable importance to the survival of the human species in the form of nutritious, delicious and diverse food. Rational exploitation and management of our global stocks of fishes must rely upon a detailed and precise insight of their biology. The Chapman & Hall Fish and Fisheries Series aims to present timely volumes reviewing important aspects of fish biology. Most volumes will be of interest to research workers in biology, zoology, ecology and physiology but an additional aim is for the books to be accessible to a wide spectrum of non-specialist readers ranging from undergraduates and postgraduates to those with an intrerest in industrial and commercial aspects of fish and fisheries.