Collection of nectar by bumblebees: how the physics of fluid demonstrates the prominent role of the tongue's morphology

Soft Matter, 2019, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C9SM00982E, PaperAmandine Lechantre, Denis Michez, Pascal Damman Bumblebees use their tongue to feed on flowers with a mopping-squeezing mechanism. From a comparison of biological data with predictions of a physical model for viscous dipping, we demonstrate that nectar is trapped in the tongue micro-structure. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

Source: RSC - Soft Matter latest articles - July 17, 2019 Category: Chemistry Authors: Amandine Lechantre Source Type: research