Insect Biomechanics Workgroup
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Dr. Ulrike Bauer
Department of Zoology |
Research
In contrast to my colleagues I work not on insect attachment, but on a plant that impedes insect attachment. Nepenthes pitcher plants have evolved highly effective organs to attract, trap and digest insects and other small animals. My research aims to clarify the relevance of different capture mechanisms under natural conditions, to investigate the ecological implications of those mechanisms, and to elucidate possible evolutionary pathways that led to different capture strategies among species. To this end I combine a wide spectrum of field and laboratory methods, ranging from continuous measurements of pitcher surface wetness and time-lapse video recordings in the field, to scanning electron microscopy and comparative phylogenetic analysis.
Recent publications
- Bauer, U., Scharmann, M., Skepper, J. & Federle, W. (2012): ‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: how Heliamphora nutans Benth. pitcher plants capture prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280(1753): 20122569
- Bauer U., Di Giusto B., Skepper J., Grafe T.U., Federle W. (2012): With a Flick of the Lid: A Novel Trapping Mechanism in Nepenthes gracilis Pitcher Plants. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38951
- Bauer U., Clemente C.J., Renner T. and Federle W. (2011) Form follows function: morphological diversification and alternative trapping strategies in carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, in press
- Bauer U., Grafe T.U., and Federle W. 2011. Evidence for alternative trapping strategies in two forms of the pitcher plant, Nepenthes rafflesiana. Journal of Experimental Botany.
- U Bauer and W Federle (2009). The insect-trapping rim of Nepenthes pitchers: surface structure and function. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 4 (11): 1019-1023.
- CM Clarke, U Bauer, CC Lee, AA Tuen, K Rembold and JA Moran (2009). Tree shrew lavatories - a novel nitrogen sequestration strategy in a tropical pitcher plant. Biology Letters, 5: 632-635.
- U Bauer, C Willmes and W Federle (2009). Effect of pitcher age on trapping efficiency and natural prey capture in carnivorous Nepenthes rafflesiana plants. Annals of Botany, 103 (8): 1219-1226.
- U Bauer, HF Bohn and W Federle (2008). Harmless nectar source or deadly trap: Nepenthes pitchers are activated by rain, condensation and nectar. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 275: 259-265.
- U Bauer, HF Bohn and W Federle (2007). Biomechanics and ecology of prey capture in Nepenthes pitcher plants. In: CC Lee (ed.). Proceedings from the Sarawak Nepenthes Summit 2007, Kuching (Malaysia), pp. 48-59.
Book contributions
- U Bauer and W Federle (2009). The role of the peristome in the trapping process of Nepenthes. In: S McPherson. Pitcher Plants of the Old World, Vol. I, pp. 72-77. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole, UK.
Abstracts
- Insect aquaplaning: Wetness-based activation of traps in Nepenthes pitcher plants. Joint Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö) & the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Marburg, July 2009
- Harmless nectar source or deadly trap? Wetness-based activation of traps in carnivorous pitcher plants. Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Jena, September 2008
- Biomechanics and ecology of prey capture in Nepenthes pitcher plants. Sarawak Nepenthes Summit, Kuching, August 2007
Media
- NANOYOU - Narrated by Stephen Frey
- Radio BBC4: "Leading edge", 01.11.2007
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
