Walter Federle

Research Area

My research aims to understand mechanical functions and principles that organisms have evolved to survive in their environment. How do animals work mechanically and what physical factors are important for their interactions with other organisms? What are the ecological consequences of biomechanical adaptations? How have biomechanical traits developed in the course of evolution? What can we learn from natural structures and mechanisms for new technical applications?

We have focused on interactions between plants and insects, where chemical factors have been intensively studied but physical mechanisms have mostly been neglected. Previous and current projects include the role of "wax barriers" in Macaranga-ant mutualisms, "insect aquaplaning" and fluid-based trapping mechanisms in Nepenthes pitcher plants, load transport and foraging in leaf-cutting ants, biomechanics of pollination systems, plant trichomes and insect counter-adaptations, suction adhesion in insects, and biomechanics of insect cuticular lipids.

In addition to field work on insects and plants (mostly in Southeast Asia), the methods used in our laboratory range from behavioural and physiological assays, high speed motion analysis, theoretical modelling, force measurements, surface/materials testing, to diverse microscopy techniques. Our research spans various disciplines and we collaborate with physicists, engineers, plant scientists, chemical ecologists and evolutionary biologists.

Project Interests

I am particularly interested in projects that use biophysical and biomechanical approaches to answer ecological and evolutionary questions and potentially learn new principles from nature. Insects with their enormous diversity and endless variety of adaptations to diverse environments offer a wide range of opportunities to find interesting mechanical adaptations and principles.