Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Advancing three-dimensional biomechanical research by combining synchronized biplanar X-ray videos with multiview light videos." "Sam Van Wassenbergh" "Functional Morphology" "Quantifying how animals move is an essential first step in studies aiming at understanding the form, function, and evolution of musculoskeletal systems. During the last decade, making use of X-ray videos recorded at high speed (> 500 frames per second) from two x-ray sources and detectors has proven to be a powerful tool to accurately analyze fast, three-dimensional movements. A cutting-edge, high-speed, biplanar X-ray video system has recently became available at the University of Antwerp, which will significantly advance functional morphological and biomechanical research in Flanders. However, quite often information on the movement of the external surfaces of the animals or their surrounding fluids is extremely valuable but cannot be measured by X-ray videos alone. The proposed research will integrate traditional (i.e., visible and infra-red sensitive) high-speed videography from two views into the three-dimensional analysis of kinematics with the existing biplanar X-ray video set-up. This will significantly advance the two ongoing projects: kinematics and hydrodynamics of feeding in fishes, and the early development of locomotion in pigs. In addition, this integration of X-ray and light videos will also be highly beneficial for the numerous collaborative research projects requiring X-ray videos that are planned in the upcoming years." "Exploitation of ecological ATTRACT & KILL in the fight against Drosophila suzukii." "Tom Wenseleers" "Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "The overall goal of this project is to further exploit ecological ATTRACT & KILL (A & K) control potential and to fine-tune its practical application in the fight against Drosophila suzukii." "Evolution and function of fine surface structures of lizard skin." "Raoul Van Damme" "Functional Morphology" "The skin surface of lizards carries spectacular ornamentations, which vary in multiple aspects even among closely related species. In recent years, new imaging techniques have revealed that the variability of skin surface structures at the macroscopic level is dwarfed by the structural variation at the micro- and nanoscopic level. Some of these fine structures have received ample attention, such as the nanostructures on the feet of geckos responsible for the animals' remarkable adhering capacities, which have inspired the super-adhesive biomaterial Geckskin™. However, in most cases, the exact functions of fine surface structures and the evolutionary and ecological reasons why they vary so dramatically among species remain unexplored. To fill in this hiatus, this project will visualize and compare the fine surface structures of the skin of a large number of lizard species facing a range of different environmental challenges. Biomechanical and optical experiments will be conducted to assess the physical properties of skin with different fine structures, which will enable us to link structure with function. This will further allow us to reconstruct the evolutionary history of fine surface structures, and ultimately, unravel whether species evolved similar skin features to adapt to similar environments. The integrative approach of this project will be achieved by several interinstitutional and transdisciplinary collaborations and with the use of cutting-edge tools in bio-imaging." "Melanopsin mediated photoreception: A common regulator of both seasonal neuroplasticity and cerebral vasculature function." "Gaurav Majumdar" "Bio-Imaging lab" "Light is one of the most important environmental factors driving many important functions in animal physiology including reproduction and neuroplasticity. It has also been shown to regulate vasculature development, its arrangement and function. In this context, Melanopsin, an opsin molecule found in ganglionic cell layer of retina (in mammals) has been shown to regulate the NON IMAGE FORMING (NIF) circuit in mammalian brain, mediating the effect of light on many physiologies including sleep, cognition and mood. Recently, melanopsin have been found in blood vessels of aorta influencing the light mediated vasodilation and also have been shown to regulate the formation of retinal blood vasculature. Light (or photoperiod) is known to influence neuroplasticity regulating it seasonally in seasonal birds (specially the song control system). Our own findings show that melanopsin is present in starling brain regions which displays seasonal neuroplasticity, which also corresponds to the mammalian like NIF network. Interestingly, we recently found melanopsin in the blood vessel linings in avian (European starlings) telencephalon. Thus, we hypothesized that melanopsin may be the common regulator of seasonal vasculature function (including both angiogenesis and blood flow). In this proposal, we will use ex vivo molecular techniques to map the expression of melanopsin in a seasonal avian model, the European starlings. We will also develop in vivo imaging methods (MRI) to map and track vasculature function in a seasonal context. As neuroplasticity and vasculature development have a causal relationship with both influenced by light, a common regulator will have evolutionary significance. Knowledge of seasonal cycle of neuroplasticity/vasculature will also help to understand mechanisms that could promote brain repair in pathological conditions such as brain trauma or neurodegenerative diseases." "Physiological role of osteoderms in amphibians and reptiles." "Chris Broeckhoven" "Functional Morphology" "Osteoderms, bony elements embedded in the skin of various extinct and modern animals, constitute an important component of the tetrapod integumentary system. As a result, a plethora of studies have been undertaken to examine the functional significance of these enigmatic structures. Although it is generally accepted that osteoderms are part of body armour and primarily serve to defend prey against attacks from predators, virtually no experimental studies have been conducted to support this hypothesis. Instead, recent studies suggest that alternative selective pressures might have shaped the evolution of osteoderms. This study aims to reduce the present discrepancy by investigating the physiological role of osteoderms. More specifically this study examines the role of osteoderms in thermoregulation and in the prevention of water loss through the skin. By examining these physiological characteristics in a diversity of animal groups (i.e., frogs, geckoes and crocodilians), the ultimate goal of the research project is to provide more insight into the evolution of osteoderms and the conditions under which these enigmatic structures could have evolved." "Modelling Fluid-Structure Interactions in the vestibular system of lizards." "Jana Goyens" "Functional Morphology" "Lacertid lizard species show a remarkable diversity in locomotion behaviours. Depending on theirhabitat and ecology, some species move in a highly dynamical and fast manner, while others arecharacterised by slow movements. Thus, their locomotor behaviours most likely pose differentdemands on their balance control. The 3 semi-circular (SC) canals of the vestibular system arecrucial in this regard, because they sense rotational accelerations of the head. Hence, wehypothesise that the vestibular system is adapted to species-specific locomotion behaviour. We willperform a comparative study of the geometrical and functional properties of the SC canals ofLacertidae.The membranous SC canals are filled with endolymph fluid that deforms a cupula and its sensorswhen accelerated angularly. We will investigate the functional morphology of the 3 interconnectedSC canals with Fluid-Structure Interaction computer models. We will thoroughly examine thefunctional consequences of the geometry (i.e. anatomy) and in vivo excitation (i.e. behaviour) onsensitivity and response time in lacertid lizards. This will facilitate future comparative studies, whichare currently unequivocal in this regard.Usually, the bony SC walls are investigated, but we will focus on the membranous walls becausethese determine the vestibular system mechanics. To facilitate future studies, we will compare thegeometry of the bony and the membranous morphology, and study the functional consequences." "Can functional trade-offs in natural body armour undermine the current biomimetics approach?" "Raoul Van Damme" "Biophysics and Biomedical Physics, Functional Morphology" "Through millions of years of evolution, nature has unfolded an array of armour types in the animal kingdom. The underlying mechanisms of natural body armour have received considerable attention in the field of biomimetics because of their potential role in serving as inspiration for artificial protective materials. Unfortunately, the majority of biomimetic studies often unambiguously assume that nature has selected the most optimal designs. Instead, the response of traits to natural selection is subject to various constrains including functional trade-offs. Hence, the current biomimetics approach might fail to fulfill the requisites of a well-designed biomimetics study and indirectly constrain the development of artificial body armour. The proposed project employs a strong ecological and evolutionary framework to investigate the effect of functional trade-offs on the evolution of body armour. Cordyline lizards are the ideal study system for a comparative and experimental analysis of body armour, because unlike other vertebrates, they display a vast amount of variation in the expression and morphology of osteoderms (i.e. body plates embedded in the skin). The study integrates evolutionary biology and functional morphology with the field of biomechanics while benefiting from state-of-the-art technology such as high-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning, 3D bioprinting and novel simulation software to ultimate put the current approach of biomimetic studies to the test." "Evolutionary biomechanics of the vestibular system of lizards: a modelling approach" "Peter Aerts" "Functional Morphology" "Lacertid lizard species show a remarkable diversity in locomotion behaviours. Depending on their habitat and ecology, some species move in a highly dynamical and fast manner, while others are characterised by slow movements. Thus, their locomotion behaviours most likely pose different demands on their balance control. The 3 semi-circular (SC) canals of the vestibular system are crucial in this regard, because they sense angular accelerations of the head. Hence, we hypothesise that the vestibular system is adapted to species-specific locomotion behaviour. We will perform a comparative study of the geometrical and functional properties of the SC canals of Lacertidae. Usually, the bony SC walls are investigated, but we will focus on the membranous walls because these determine the vestibular system mechanics. To facilitate future studies, we will compare the geometry of the bony and the membranous morphology, and study the functional consequences. The membranous SC canals are filled with endolymph fluid that deforms a cupula and its sensors when accelerated angularly. We will investigate the fluid dynamical properties of the 3 interconnected SC canals with a Fluid-Structure Interaction model. We will thoroughly examine the functional consequences of the geometry (i.e. anatomy) and in vivo excitation (i.e. behaviour) on sensitivity and response time in lacertid lizards. This will facilitate future comparative studies, which are currently unequivocal in this regard." "Bonobo Morphology Initiative" "Jeroen Stevens, Sandra Nauwelaerts" "Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp" uniS "Evolution of monodactyly in the Equida (Perissodactyla)." "Peter Aerts" "Functional Morphology" "The fossil horse sequence is a popular example of a phylogenetic pattern resulting from the evolutionary process. However, the seemingly transitional stages are actually derived from a scattered sampling of horse fossils within the multi-branched horse evolutionary tree. The current hypothesis is that the reduction in the number of digits was necessary for the cursorial lifestyle of today's horses. Lengthening of the distal segments and toe-tip running increased the stride length and thus the speed with which the animal can move. However, to avoid the increase in cost of swinging the heavier limbs, the digital number was reduced. Reinforcement of the middle toe might have also led to an improvement of the stability. The drawback to the reduction lies in loss in versatility and a decreased ability to run on compliant substrates.This project proposes to perform detailed comparative research on horses and their extant relatives. By studying donkeys, zebras, horses and closely related species, we will detect evolutionary patterns within this group. By studying how the animals move combined with a detailed study of the limb anatomy of the same species, we aim at providing insights in the mechanisms behind the reduction in digital number.The limb movements of the animals will be studied using traditional gait analyses techniques. Video material will be obtained synchronized with ground reaction forces and pressure data under the hooves. This information can be combined with inertial information in a calculation technique called inverse dynamics that will yield the joint power profiles over time. These profiles can be regarded as indications for motor control patterns. This will allow us to compare motor control patterns between the different species. These gait analysis experiments will be done in collaboration with European zoos. Finally, a forward dynamic modeling approach (imposing patterns of joint moments of extant species onto fossil limb morphologies) will be applied.Models of trait evolution will be used to discern how limb skeletal morphology and motor control patterns have evolved in perissodactyls. This will require integration with the results of the projects running in parallel carried by Jamie MacLaren and Sandra Nauwelaerts, both now funded by the FWO-Fl (project IDs resp. 29820 & 27210)."