Wednesday, April 22 @ 3 p.m.
Heller Hall (HH) 306
Lauren Willman
WRS Masters Student
Abstract
Limits of lamprey adhesion: attachment strength and the role of surface morphology
The invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has severely disrupted the ecological balance of the Laurentian Great Lakes. While current management relies on chemical lampricides and physical barriers, these methods often impact non-target native species or are bypassed by the lamprey’s unique suction-based locomotion. This study first compared the attachment performance of invasive sea lampreys against native species, silver (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), American brook (Lethenteron appendix), and northern brook (I. fossor) lampreys, to establish a baseline for species-specific physical capabilities. Parasitic species exhibited significantly higher mean attachment forces (1.10 N for sea lampreys) compared to non-parasitic species (0.03 -0.06 N), and sea lampreys withstood significantly higher flow velocities before detaching.
To exploit the mechanical limitations of this attachment, we tested the suction efficacy of adult sea lampreys on 3D-printed convex textures (cubes, cones, and pyramids). Results indicate that surface morphology is a critical determinant of adhesion, with texture volume and surface area showing a significant negative correlation with detachment force. Notably, high-complexity textures completely prevented attachment in several trials. These findings bridge a critical knowledge gap in lamprey functional morphology and provide a data-driven framework for designing texture-modified physical barriers that selectively inhibit invasive sea lampreys while potentially reducing risks to ecologically significant native species.