Publications by authors named "F T Muijres"
Malaria mosquitoes mate in swarms, but how these swarms are formed and maintained remains poorly understood. We characterized three-dimensional spatiotemporal flight kinematics of males swarming at sunset above a ground marker. The location, shape, and volume of swarms were highly stereotypic, consistent over the complete swarming duration.
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- Insects have developed various flight behaviors and traits that are crucial to understanding their evolutionary history, but studying extinct insects' flight capabilities is difficult.
- An integrated approach reveals that the Palaeontinidae, a group of large cicadas from the Mesozoic era, underwent significant changes in anatomy and flight performance from the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, showing increased speed and maneuverability.
- This evolutionary adaptation may have been driven by competition with early birds, suggesting a competitive relationship known as an aerial evolutionary arms race, which illustrates how the evolution of powered flight has impacted animal evolution overall.
Flight behaviours of birds have been extensively studied from different angles such as their kinematics, aerodynamics and, more generally, their migration patterns. Nevertheless, much is still unknown about the daily foraging flight activity and behaviour of breeding birds, and potential differences among males and females. The recent development of miniaturized accelerometers allows us a glimpse into the daily life of a songbird.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMale mosquitoes form aerial aggregations, known as swarms, to attract females and maximize their chances of finding a mate. Within these swarms, individuals must be able to recognize potential mates and navigate the social environment to successfully intercept a mating partner. Prior research has almost exclusively focused on the role of acoustic cues in mediating the male mosquito's ability to recognize and pursue females.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMale mosquitoes form aerial aggregations, known as swarms, to attract females and maximize their chances of finding a mate. Within these swarms, individuals must be able to recognize potential mates and navigate the dynamic social environment to successfully intercept a mating partner. Prior research has almost exclusively focused on the role of acoustic cues in mediating the male mosquito's ability to recognize and pursue flying females.
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