Abstract
Most animals have the ability to adapt, to some extends and in different ways, the variation or disturbance of environment. In our experiments, we forced a silkworm caterpillar to spin two, three or four thin cocoons by taking it out from the cocoon being constructed. The mechanical properties of these cocoons were studied by static tensile tests and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Though external disturbances may cause the decrease in the total weight of silk spun by the silkworm, a gradual enhancement was interestingly found in the mechanical properties of these thin cocoons. Scanning electron microscopy observations of the fractured specimens of the cocoons showed that there exist several different energy dissipation mechanisms occurred simultaneously at macro-, meso-, and micro-scales, yielding a superior capacity of cocoons to adsorb the energy of possible attacks from the outside and to protect efficiently its pupa against damage. Through evolution of millions of years, therefore, the silkworm Bombyx mori seems to have gained the ability to adapt external disturbances and to redesign a new cocoon with optimized protective function when its first cocoon has been damaged for some reasons.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Geier, P.W.: The life history of codling moth. Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in the Australian Capital Territory. Aust. J. Zool. 11, 323–367 (1963)
Jones, D.: The endocrine basis for developmentally stationary prepupae in larvae of Trichoplusia ni pseudoparasitized by Chelonus insularis. J. Comp. Physiol. B 155, 235–240 (1985)
Kauffman, W.C., Kennedy, G.G.: Toxicity of allelochemicals from wild insect-resistant tomato Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum to Campoletis sonorensis, a parasitoid of Heliothis zea. J. Chem. Ecol. 15, 2051–2060 (1989)
Loudon, C., Koehl, M.A.: Sniffing by a silkworm moth: wing fanning enhances air penetration through and pheromone interception by antennae. J. Exp. Biol. 203, 2977–2990 (2000)
Johnson, C.D., Romero, J., Raimúndez-Urrutia, E.: Ecology of Amblycerus crassipunctatus Ribeiro-Costa (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in seeds of Humiriaceae, a new host family for bruchids, with an ecological comparison to other species of Amblycreus. Coleopterists Bull. 55, 37–48 (2001)
Zhao, H.P., Feng, X.Q., Yu, S.W., Cui, W.Z., Zou, F.Z.: Mechanical properties of silkworm cocoons. Polymer 46, 9192–9201 (2005)
Shao, Z.Z., Vollrath, F.: Surprising strength of silkworm silk. Nature 418, 741 (2002)
Ramachandra, Y.L., Bali, G., Rai, S.P.: Effect of temperature and relative humidity on spinning behavior of silkworm (Bombyx mori. L). Indian J. Exp. Biol. 39, 87–89 (2001)
Ridley, M.: Evolution. Blackwell, Oxford (1996)
Xiao, K.W., Bai, K., Wang, W.S., Song, F.: Experimental study on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of the wing membrane of dragonfly. Acta Mechanica Sinica 23, 281–285 (2007)
Sun, M., Wang, G.K., Xiong, Y.: Dynamic flight stability of hovering insects. Acta Mechanica Sinica 23, 231–246 (2007)
Hobbs, J.J.: Problems in the harvest of edible birds’ nests in Sarawak and Sabah. Malaysian Borneo. Biodiv. Conserv. 13, 2209–2226 (2004)
Fabre, J.H.: The Life of Fly. Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 19–22 (1913)
Wang, R.Z., Suo, Z., Evans, A.G., Yao, N., Aksay, I.A.: Deformation mechanisms in nacre. J. Mater. Res. 16, 2485–2493 (2001)
Vincent, J.F.V.: Deployable structures in nature. In: Pellegrino, S.(eds) Deployable Structures., pp. 37–50. Springer-Verlag, Vienna. 37–50 (2001)
Courtland, H.W., Wright, G.M., Root, R.G., DeMont, M.E.: Comparative equilibrium mechanical properties of bovine and lamprey cartilaginous tissues. J. Exp. Bio. 206, 1397– (2003)
Szulgit, G., Shadwick, R.E.: Dynamic mechanical characterization of a mutable collagenous tissue: response of sea cucumber dermis to cell lysis and dermal extracts. J. Exp. Bio. 203, 1539– (2000)
Zhao, H.P., Feng, X.Q., Shi, H.J.: Variability in mechanical properties of Bombyx mori silk. Mat. Sci. Eng. C. 27, 675– (2007)
Li, X.D., Chang, W.C., Chao, Y.J., Wang, R., Chang, M.: Nanoscale structural and mechanical characterization of a natural nanocomposite material: the shell of red abalone. Nano Letters 4, 613– (2004)
Xiao, Z.M., Lim, M.K., Liew, K.M.: Micromechanical analysis of crazing phenomenon in polymers. J. Mater. Process. Tech. 48, 437– (1995)
Yao, J., Nakazawa, Y., Asakura, T.: Structures of Bombyx mori and Samia cynthia ricini silk fibroins studied with solid-state NMR. Biomacromolecules 5, 680– (2004)
Zhao, H.P., Feng, X.Q., Cui, W.Z., Zou, F.Z.: Mechanical properties of silkworm cocoon pelades. Engng. Fract. Mech. 74, 1953– (2007)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10402017, 10732050, 10525210, 10121202).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, S.Q., Zhao, H.P., Feng, X.Q. et al. Mechanical properties of cocoons constructed consecutively by a single silkworm caterpillar, Bombyx mori . Acta Mech. Sin. 24, 151–160 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-008-0141-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-008-0141-6