5-11-2012 VIRTUAL DESIGN COMMUNICATION INSPIRED BY NATURE LAB Biomimicry Specialist Program 2012 Andrea Monge Rodriguez Virtual Design Lab: Discovering Natural Models FUNCTION: How does nature attract? How does nature transfer information? NATURAL COMMUNICATION TAXONOMY Species Level System Level Anglerfish (p2) Frog choruses Attracting prey/ Flamingo (p3) (p4) mating partner Fireflies (p5) Attracting/ Cleaner shrimp Flowering plants Communicating in (p6) (p8) symbiotic Plants (p7) Bromeliads (p11) relationships Complex Adaptive Systems Swarm Theory (p13) o Swarming: flock, schools and herds (p13) o Swarm Intelligence: ant and bee colonies (p14) Ecosystem Theory (p21) o Ecological Specialization o Resilience vs Efficiency o 1 STRATEGIES: 1. Attracting prey/mating partner Anglerfish lures prey Scale: Species Organism: Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) Strategy: The anglerfish is a carnivorous fish that lives in sandy and muddy bottoms of the deep ocean, up to a mile below the surface, where light is scarce. It is an ambush predator that lies half buried on the sediment and uses a luminous lure to attract prey within the reach of its jaws. The light is generated by millions of bioluminescent bacteria that live permanently inside the lure. Abstracted principle: Lure individuals by presenting a desired item, while hiding the costs. References: “Light lures” excerpt from the BBC documentary series: The Blue Planet – The Deep Ask Nature: Lure attracts prey: anglerfish National Geographic Animals: The anglerfish Fish Base: The Angler 2 Communicating health: flamingoes Scale: Species Organism: Flamingo (Phoenicopterus) Strategy: Adult flamingoes range from light pink to bright red and the color is directly correlated to how much shrimp they are eating. A well-fed flamingo is more vibrantly colored and thus more desirable to a potential mate. Abstracted principle: A simple and effective way to advertise the desirability of an item could be to color code it in function of how well it performs on a chosen parameter. References: Walker, A. 2010. Biomimicry Challenge: IDEO Taps Octopi and Flamingos to Reorganize the USGBC. Fast Company. Published online May 11 2010. 3 Frog choruses advertise for females © Calimo (Wikimedia Commons) (license: CC by 3.0) Scale: System Organism: Frog and toad species Strategy: In many frogs and toads, males aggregate in large choruses to advertise for females. The signals they use are conspicuous and long range; therefore, choruses constitute a classic example of a communication network. The challenge of communicating in such large choruses is to balance the costs and benefits of attracting a mate, repelling rivals and avoiding predators and/or parasites. The techniques used to overcome this challenge are: Increase call repetition rate Increase complexity of calls Defend calling sites/acoustic space Alternate or synchronize their calls with neighboring males (subset of 3 or 4 males) Use other communication channels (e.g. vibration) Abstracted principle: There are a number of techniques that can prevent a signal being drowned between a large number of similar signals. 4 Increase signal repetition rate Increase the complexity of the signal Defend a calling space Collaborate with others to alternate/synchronize signals Use other communication channels References: McGregor, P. 2005. Animal Communication Networks. Cambridge University Press. Cambride, UK Firefly choruses attract mates Scale: System Organism: Firefly (Pteroptyx) Strategy: Fireflies are a group of winged beetles which use bioluminescence to attract mates. The light is produced by a chemical reaction in organs called lanterns, located in the lower abdomen of the insect. During the courtship process, firefly use flashes of light, steady glows and chemical signals to communicate with potential mates. Tropical male fireflies, in particular, in Southeast Asia, routinely congregate in mangrove trees, in the river banks, and synchronize their flashes among large groups. This phenomenon is explained as phase synchronization and spontaneous order. 5 Abstracted principle: By forming congregations and synchronizing signals, individuals greatly improve the chances that their message will be received by their target. References: Encyclopedia of Life: Lampyridae, Lightning bug Lewis, S.M., Cratsley, C.K. 2008. Flash Signal Evolution, Mate Choice, and Predation in Fireflies. Annual Review of Entomology, 53: 293-321 TED: Steven Strogatz: Sync 2. Establishing & maintaining symbiotic relationships Avoiding predation by providing a service: Cleaner shrimp Stenopus hispidus © Nick Hobgood (Wikipedia) (license: CC by 2.0) Scale: Species Organism: Rebanded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) Strategy: Redbanded coral shrimp are found in reef habitats in tropical waters. Stenopus hispidus is a “cleaning shrimp.” Individuals remove and consume parasites, injured tissue and rejected food particles from some coral reef 6 organisms. S. hispidus perches near the opening of the cave or ledge in which they are living and attract fish by their posture, color patterns and their waving antennae. These locations sometimes become known as cleaning stations. Individuals have the freedom to enter the mouth and gill cavities of host organisms, without being eaten, but usually remain in contact with the substrate when cleaning. Species that S. hispidus has been known to clean include morays, tangs, grunts and groupers. Abstracted principle: Individuals that provide a service are conspicuous in order to advertise their presence and differentiate themselves signaling they are there to provide a useful service. References: Encyclopedia of Life: Redbanded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Stenopus hispidus Leaves communicate pest damage Toxin production by leaves (image from BBC documentary “How to grow a planet”) Scale: Species Organism: Plants Strategy: It was recently discovered that plants can communicate through chemical signals. When a plant is attacked by an herbivore, they start producing toxins to deter the predator, but they are also able to warn other plants of the attack. They do this by releasing a chemical signal in the form of a gas from the leaves. This gas triggers biological activity in neighboring plants which start producing toxins to protect themselves 7 Abstracted principle: Establishing communication networks to communicate a threat as soon as it is perceived can help collaborators quickly prepare and respond in a more efficient way than without warning. References: How to Grow a Planet: Life From Light. BBC Documentary 2012 (minutes 50:20-53:10) Collaboration gives flowering plants the competitive edge to take-over a giant- dominated planet Scale: System/Evolution Organism: Flowering plants Strategy: Around 400 million years ago, the first plants left the ocean behind and colonized the land, changing weather patterns, the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to the creation of nutrient rich soils. In this evolving and increasingly fertile landscape, animals which had been confined for millions of years to the rivers and oceans could finally emerge to the land. Around 230 million years ago, this lead to the evolution of dinosaurs, two thirds of which were herbivores. For 200 million years, the dinosaurs and plants were locked into an evolutionary race. Ferns evolved chemical and mechanical defenses to avoid being eaten, while conifers used wood to grow taller and taller. At the time of the single super continent Pangea, the earth was dominated by giants: the sequoias. After several years of allocating most of their energy to growth, conifers rely on wind to reproduce, blowing male pollen to a nearby female cone. It is a very wasteful process because in order to 8 ensure the gametes will meet up to 10 billion grains have to be released by a singly tree. Similarly, ferns rely on water to transport their gametes, being restricted to swampy areas. These limitations meant that the plant kingdom during Pangea was lacking diversity. 140 million years ago, a random mutation, lead to the evolution of a species of plant with an innovative reproduction strategy: the amborella plant. Botanists believe some leaves of this plant to become white petals. Beetles munched on these petals packed with pollen, but not all the pollen was eaten, some sticks to the insect’s body and is transferred to another plant. This was the birth of flowers. Amborella trichopoda © Scott Zona (Wikimedia Commons) (license: CC by 2.0) 9 What followed was a new type of co-evolution based not on predation or competition but collaboration. In order to attract insects, flowers evolved different colors, odors and shapes. These adaptations were not random but evolved to attract specific insects to transfer the right pollen to the right plant. Animals were lured by these signals and once they reached the flower, they found nectar, a sugar packed liquid, which became the primary source of food for many species and ensured they kept coming back to visit the flowers and carry their pollen. Thus flowers became the evolutionary force behind entirely new species of animals, such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, resulting in an increasing diversity of life. Back then, the supercontinent of Pangea was splitting up, creating countless new landscapes with new climates and environments. For conifers and ferns so reliant on wind and water, the new landscapes were inaccessible; it was the chance flowering plants were waiting for. Besides having a more efficient