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dc.contributor.authorComanns, P.
dc.contributor.authorEsser, F.
dc.contributor.authorKappel, P.
dc.contributor.authorBaumgartner, W.
dc.contributor.authorShaw, J.
dc.contributor.authorWithers, Philip
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-10T12:39:44Z
dc.date.available2017-12-10T12:39:44Z
dc.date.created2017-12-10T12:20:18Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.identifier.citationComanns, P. and Esser, F. and Kappel, P. and Baumgartner, W. and Shaw, J. and Withers, P. 2017. Adsorption and movement of water by skin of the Australian thorny devil (Agamidae: Moloch horridus). Royal Society Open Science. 4 (9): Article ID 170591.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/59326
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rsos.170591
dc.description.abstract

Moisture-harvesting lizards, such as the Australian thorny devil Moloch horridus, have remarkable adaptations for inhabiting arid regions. Their microstructured skin surface, with channels in between overlapping scales, enables them to collect water by capillarity and passively transport it to the mouth for ingestion. We characterized this capillary water transport for live thorny devils using high-speed video analyses. Comparison with preserved specimens showed that live lizards are required for detailed studies of skin water transport. For thorny devils, there was no directionality in cutaneous water transport (unlike Phrynosoma) as 7µl water droplets applied to the skin were transported radially over more than 9.2mm. We calculated the total capillary volume as 5.76 µl cmS (dorsal) and 4.45 µlcm -2 (ventral), which is reduced to 50% filling by the time transportation ceases. Using micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy of shed skin to investigate capillary morphology, we found that the channels are hierarchically structured as a large channel between the scales that is sub-divided by protrusions into smaller sub-capillaries. The large channel quickly absorbs water whereas the sub-capillary structure extends the transport distance by about 39% and potentially reduces the water volume required for drinking. An adapted dynamics function, which closely reflects the channelmorphology, includes that ecological role.

dc.publisherThe Royal Society Publishing
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.titleAdsorption and movement of water by skin of the Australian thorny devil (Agamidae: Moloch horridus)
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.volume4
dcterms.source.number9
dcterms.source.issn2054-5703
dcterms.source.titleRoyal Society Open Science
curtin.departmentDepartment of Environment and Agriculture
curtin.accessStatusOpen access via publisher


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