Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
11
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
11 results for “gecko adhesion”
Data from: Subdigital adhesive pad morphology varies in relation to structural habitat use in the Namib Day Gecko, Rhoptropus afer
1. Morphological features that lead to increased locomotor performance, such as faster sprint speed, are thought to evolve in concert with habitat use. The latter depends on available habitat structure, and how the animal moves within that habitat. Thus, this behavioral variation will impact how natural selection acts on locomotion and morphology. 2. Quantifying the interplay between escape behavior and locomotor morphology across habitats that vary in structural composition could reveal how selection acts on locomotion at local levels. Substrate features, such as incline and topographical variation, are likely key drivers of morphological and functional disparity among terrestrial animals. We investigated the impact of habitat variation and escape behavior on morphology, including the adhesive system, of Rhoptropus afer, a diurnal and cursorial gecko from Namibia. Substrate incline and topographical variation are likely important for this pad-bearing gecko due to the trade-off between adhering and sprinting (i.e. using adhesion results in decreased sprint speed) that is triggered by certain inclines. 3. We corroborate the hypothesis that the adhesive system exhibits the greatest degree of reduction in populations that utilize the flattest terrain during an escape. Our findings suggest that the adhesive apparatus is detrimental to rapid for locomotion on relatively horizontal surfaces, and may thus be counterproductive to the evasion of predators in such situations. A broad scale analysis of geckos would determine whether diversity of adhesive morphology is driven primarily by habitat use. 4. Phenotypic plasticity of the adhesive system and interspecific competition are plausible candidates for driving our results. However, it is unclear whether the differences we observed have a genetic basis. Future work should focus on how variation of the adhesive system impacts downstream locomotor components such as kinematics and mechanics, and how the integration of these traits is related to habitat use.
FIGURE 4 in A 100 million year old gecko with sophisticated adhesive toe pads, preserved in amber from Myanmar
FIGURE 4. Ventral view of toes I–IV (toe I at upper right). What appear to be clumped adhesive setae are visible on the more distal lamellae of toes II and III.
FIGURE 1 in A 100 million year old gecko with sophisticated adhesive toe pads, preserved in amber from Myanmar
FIGURE 1. Holotype of Cretaceogekko burmae; ventral view of section of basal tail (above) and left hind leg (lower right); what appear to be toes I–III of the isolated right foot are visible in dorsal view distal to the tail section (upper left).
FIGURES 2, 3 in A 100 million year old gecko with sophisticated adhesive toe pads, preserved in amber from Myanmar
FIGURES 2, 3. Ventral views of left crus and foot of Cretaceogekko burmae with different illumination.
Data from: Subdigital adhesive pad morphology varies in relation to structural habitat use in the Namib Day Gecko, Rhoptropus afer
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Geckos as springs: mechanics explain across-species scaling of adhesion
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Geckos significantly alter foot orientation to facilitate adhesion during downhill locomotion
Geckos employ their adhesive system when moving up an incline, but the directionality of the system may limit function on downhill surfaces. Here, we use a generalist gecko to test whether limb modulation occurs on downhill slopes to allow geckos to take advantage of their adhesive system. We examined three-dimensional limb kinematics for geckos moving up and down a 45° slope. Remarkably, the hind limbs were rotated posteriorly on declines, resulting in digit III of the pes facing a more posterior direction (opposite to the direction of travel). No significant changes in limb orientation were found in any other condition. This pes rotation leads to a dramatic shift in foot function that facilitates the use of the adhesive system as a brake/stabilizer during downhill locomotion and, although this rotation is not unique to geckos, it is significant for the deployment of adhesion. Adhesion is not just advantageous for uphill locomotion but can be employed to help deal with the effects of gravity during downhill locomotion, highlighting the incredible multi-functionality of this key innovation.
Data from: Passively stuck: death does not affect gecko adhesion strength
Many geckos use adhesive toe pads on the bottom of their digits to attach to surfaces with remarkable strength. Although gecko adhesion has been studied for hundreds of years, gaps exist in our understanding at the whole-animal level. It remains unclear whether the strength and maintenance of adhesion are determined by the animal or are passively intrinsic to the system. Here we show, for the first time, that strong adhesion is produced passively at the whole-animal level. Experiments on both live and recently euthanized tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) revealed that death does not affect the dynamic adhesive force or motion of a gecko foot when pulled along a vertical surface. Using a novel device that applied repeatable and steady-increasing pulling forces to the foot in shear, we found that the adhesive force was similarly high and variable when the animal was alive (mean ± s.d. = 5.4 ± 1.7 N) and within 30 min after death (5.4 ± 2.1 N). However, kinematic analyses showed that live geckos are able to control the degree of toe pad engagement and can rapidly stop strong adhesion by hyperextending the toes. This study offers the first assessment of whole-animal adhesive force under extremely controlled conditions. Our findings reveal that dead geckos maintain the ability to adhere with the same force as living animals, disproving that strong adhesion requires active control.
FIGURE 5 in A 100 million year old gecko with sophisticated adhesive toe pads, preserved in amber from Myanmar
FIGURE 5. Dorsal view of left foot of Cretaceogekko burmae (toe I on left).
Data from: Passively stuck: death does not affect gecko adhesion strength
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Geckos significantly alter foot orientation to facilitate adhesion during downhill locomotion
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.