Research of the Experimental Zoology Group
The mission of the experimental zoology group is to unravel the relationships between form and function in zoological systems in a developmental and evolutionary context and to provide bioinspired solutions for technological and medical problems.
Animals are complex mechanical systems that behave, develop, and evolve on multiple timescales. Understanding their structure and function requires interdisciplinary quantitative analyses that span a range of temporal and architectural scales. In return, such analyses reveal unexpected design strategies and solutions as developed by natural selection. Reverse engineering of these solutions can help to solve similar problems of societal relevance.
We study the function of moving animals using four main research lines. See below for details about these research lines.
Research lines
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Biomechanics of moving animals
Animals have evolved amazing movement systems, ranging from the rapidly beating wings of flying flies and the flexible undulating body of swimming fish, to the precisely controlled cuttlefish arm for catching and manipulating prey. To unravel how natural movement systems function, we study the biomechanics and neuro-muscular control of moving animals.
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Developmental zoology
How do cells in multicellular organisms (self-)organize to form a complex body plan with an amazing functional repertoire, including reproduction, the repair after injuries, and navigation to find food and mating partners ? We combine biological experiments in a tight feedback loop with physics-inspired theory to understand principles of communication and information processing from stem cells to neurons.
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Bioinspired design
Over the course of 3.8 billion years, nature has evolved versatile solutions for survival. By taking inspiration from nature, many engineers and designers have translated such solutions to human-made devices, structures, and technologies.
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Evolutionary biology
A staggering diversity of complex reproductive strategies has evolved in livebearing animals. The evolution of these innovative reproductive adaptations is one of the most significant phenomena in the rise of multicellular organisms.
Our research is not exclusively restricted to these lines because our quantitative and deductive approach provides unique opportunities to tackle a range of important problems, such as biomechanics of tongues and sensors.
More information about our chair group can also be found on this Research page of the Wageningen University & Research.