Quantifying the Aerodynamic Power Required for Flight and Testing for Adaptive Wind Drift in Passion-Vine Butterflies Heliconius sara (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Although theoretical work on optimal migration has been largely restricted to birds, relevant free-flight data are now becoming available for migratory insects. Here we report, for the first time in passion-vine butterflies, that migrates directionally. To test optimal migration models for insects,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-01, Vol.14 (2), p.112
Main Authors: Srygley, Robert B, Dudley, Robert, Hernandez, Edgar J, Kainz, Franz, Riveros, Andre J, Ellington, Charlie P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerodynamics
Airspeed
behavioral ecology
biomechanics
Butterflies & moths
Cameras
Crosswinds
Digitization
Drift
Energy conservation
Energy consumption
Females
Flight
Free flight
Heliconius
High speed
Insect migration
Insects
Kinematics
locomotion
Males
Maximization
Migration
Morphology
Null hypothesis
Optimization
rainforest
Thorax
Velocity
Wings
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Summary:Although theoretical work on optimal migration has been largely restricted to birds, relevant free-flight data are now becoming available for migratory insects. Here we report, for the first time in passion-vine butterflies, that migrates directionally. To test optimal migration models for insects, we quantified the aerodynamic power curve for free-flying as they migrated across the Panama Canal. Using synchronized stereo-images from high-speed video cameras, we reconstructed three-dimensional flight kinematics of migrating naturally across the Panama Canal. We also reconstructed flight kinematics from a single-camera view of butterflies flying through a flight tunnel. We calculated the power requirements for flight for over a range of flight velocities. The relationship between aerodynamic power and velocity was "J"-shaped across the measured velocities with a minimum power velocity of 0.9 m/s and a maximum range velocity of 2.25 m/s. Migrating did not compensate for crosswind drift. Changes in airspeed with tailwind drift were consistent with the null hypothesis that did not compensate for tailwind drift, but they were also not significantly different from those predicted to maximize the migratory range of the insects.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects14020112