Document Detail


A quantitative comparison of bird and bat wakes.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19324669     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Qualitative comparison of bird and bat wakes has demonstrated significant differences in the structure of the far wake. Birds have been found to have a unified vortex wake of the two wings, while bats have a more complex wake with gradients in the circulation along the wingspan, and with each wing generating its own vortex structure. Here, we compare quantitative measures of the circulation in the far wake of three bird and one bat species. We find that bats have a significantly stronger normalized circulation of the start vortex than birds. We also find differences in how the circulation develops during the wingbeat as demonstrated by the ratio of the circulation of the dominant start vortex and the total circulation of the same sense. Birds show a more prominent change with changing flight speed and a relatively weaker start vortex at minimum power speed than bats. We also find that bats have a higher normalized wake loading based on the start vortex, indicating higher relative induced drag and therefore less efficient lift generation than birds. Our results thus indicate fundamental differences in the aerodynamics of bird and bat flight that will further our understanding of the evolution of vertebrate flight.
Authors:
L Christoffer Johansson; Marta Wolf; Anders Hedenström
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article     Date:  2009-03-25
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of the Royal Society, Interface / the Royal Society     Volume:  7     ISSN:  1742-5662     ISO Abbreviation:  J R Soc Interface     Publication Date:  2010 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-11-25     Completed Date:  2010-02-02     Revised Date:  2011-07-20    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101217269     Medline TA:  J R Soc Interface     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  61-6     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Theoretical Ecology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund, Sweden. christoffer.johansson@teorekol.lu.se
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Birds / classification,  physiology*
Chiroptera / classification,  physiology*
Computer Simulation
Flight, Animal / physiology*
Models, Biological*
Species Specificity
Wing / physiology*
Comments/Corrections

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