Convergent evolution of functional surfaces in biology: surface structure complexity of lizard skin

Because they constitute the interface between the organism and its environment, biological surfaces play a vital role in many processes. Recently, new imaging techniques have uncovered that bio-surfaces sport a vast variety of microscale and nanoscale structures that are thought to tailor their interfacing functions. However, exactly how they do that, and why surface ornamentation can differ so dramatically among species, remains heavily unexplored. Using lizard skin as a study model, this project will investigate the functional significance and evolutionary trajectory of fine surface structures using the following integrative approach: (1) Quantifying the structural characteristics of a large number of species facing disparate environmental challenges. (2) Conducting in vivo performance measurements and behavioural observations combined with ex vivo mechanical and optics test to retrieve information on the physical properties and functionality of distinct structural arrangements. (3) Reconstructing the evolutionary history of fine surface structures of lizard skin and assessing the relative importance of convergent versus idiosyncratic evolutionary solutions. The project will combine cutting-edge bio-imaging and functional morphological technology with recent computational and phylogenetic tools. This will be achieved through multilateral interinstitutional collaboration.