Prof Walter Federle

I am leader of the Insect Biomechanics Group.

I am interested in how animals work, and what physical factors play an important role for their biology and interactions with other organisms. Our current focus is on the functional morphology and biomechanics of insects, on surface attachment mechanisms in animals, and insect-plant interactions.

Key publications: 

Endlein T and Federle W (2013). Rapid preflexes in smooth adhesive pads of insects prevent sudden detachment. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280, 20122868.

Moll K, Roces F and Federle W (2013). How load-carrying ants avoid falling over: mechanical stability during foraging in Atta vollenweideri grass-cutting ants. PLoS ONE 8, e52816.

Peattie AM, Dirks J-H, Henriques S & Federle W (2011). Arachnids secrete a fluid over their adhesive pads. PLoS ONE 6: e20485.
Clemente CJ, Bullock JMR, Beale A & Federle W (2010). Evidence for self-cleaning in fluid-based smooth and hairy adhesive systems of insects. Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 635-642.

Dirks J-H, Clemente CJ & Federle W (2010). Insect tricks: two-phasic foot pad secretion prevents slipping. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 7: 587-593.

Bauer U, Bohn HF & Federle W (2008). Harmless nectar source or deadly trap: Nepenthes pitchers are activated by rain, condensation and nectar. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 275: 259-265.

Clemente CJ & Federle W (2008). Pushing versus pulling: division of labour between tarsal attachment pads in cockroaches. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 275: 1329-1336.

Federle W (2006). Why are so many adhesive pads hairy? Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 2611-2621.

Bohn HF & Federle W (2004). Insect aquaplaning: Nepenthes pitcher plants capture prey with the peristome, a fully wettable water-lubricated anisotropic surface. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 101: 14138-14143.

Federle W, Riehle M, Curtis ASG & Full RJ (2002). An integrative study of insect adhesion: mechanics and wet adhesion of pretarsal pads in ants. Integrative and Comparative Biology 42: 1100-1106.

Federle W, Brainerd EL, McMahon TA & Hölldobler B (2001). Biomechanics of the movable pretarsal adhesive organ in ants and bees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 98: 6215-6220.