Skin protects from water loss: desert lark

The skin of the desert lark protects from water loss via a ceramide-rich lipid ratio.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Protect from abiotic factors >
	Loss of liquids

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Water sealant, glue.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Adjustments of lipid ratios to favor ceramides over free fatty acids and sterols have also been shown to correlate with reductions of TEWL [transepidermal water loss] in desert larks (Haugen et al., 2003a,b). The comparatively higher ratios of ceramides in stratum corneum allow the lipid lamellae of the permeability barrier to exist in a more highly ordered crystalline phase, which creates a tighter barrier to water vapor diffusion (Velkova and Lafleur, 2002; Bouwstra et al., 2003b)." (Lillywhite 2006:218)

About the inspiring organism

Desert Lark
Ammomanes deserti (Lichtenstein, 1823)

IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern
Habitat(s): Desert, Rocky Areas, Shrubland

Some organism data provided by: ITIS: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Water sealant, glue.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Manufacturing, building, packaging

Experts

Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology
Irene Tieleman
Animal Ecology Group, Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen

References

Lillywhite, H. B. 2006. Water relations of tetrapod integument. Journal of Experimental Biology. 209(2): 202-226.

Haugen, MK; Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB. 2003. Phenotypic flexibility in cutaneous water loss and lipids of the stratum corneum. Journal of Experimental Biology. 206: 3581-3588.

Haugen, MK; Williams, JB; Wertz, P; Tieleman, BI. 2003. Lipids of the Stratum Corneum Vary with Cutaneous Water Loss among Larks along a Temperature-Moisture Gradient. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 76(6): 907-917.

Skin protects from water loss: desert lark

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