A qualitative assessment of limits of active flight in low density atmospheres.


Journal

Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
Titre abrégé: Sci Rep
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101563288

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
15 Jun 2024
Historique:
received: 14 08 2023
accepted: 05 06 2024
medline: 16 6 2024
pubmed: 16 6 2024
entrez: 15 6 2024
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Exoplanet atmospheres are expected to vary significantly in thickness and chemical composition, leading to a continuum of differences in surface pressure and atmospheric density. This variability is exemplified within our Solar System, where the four rocky planets exhibit surface pressures ranging from 1 nPa on Mercury to 9.2 MPa on Venus. The direct effects and potential challenges of atmospheric pressure and density on life have rarely been discussed. For instance, atmospheric density directly affects the possibility of active flight in organisms, a critical factor since without it, dispersing across extensive and inhospitable terrains becomes a major limitation for the expansion of complex life. In this paper, we propose the existence of a critical atmospheric density threshold below which active flight is unfeasible, significantly impacting biosphere development. To qualitatively assess this threshold and differentiate it from energy availability constraints, we analyze the limits of active flight on Earth, using the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism. We subjected Drosophila melanogaster to various atmospheric density scenarios and reviewed previous data on flight limitations. Our observations show that flies in an N

Identifiants

pubmed: 38879676
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-64114-4
pii: 10.1038/s41598-024-64114-4
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

13823

Informations de copyright

© 2024. The Author(s).

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Auteurs

Mihkel Pajusalu (M)

Department of Earth, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA. mihkel.pajusalu@ut.ee.
Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, 61602, Tõravere, Estonia. mihkel.pajusalu@ut.ee.

Sara Seager (S)

Department of Earth, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.

Jingcheng Huang (J)

Department of Earth, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.

Janusz J Petkowski (JJ)

Department of Earth, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
JJ Scientific, 02-792, Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370, Wroclaw, Poland.

Classifications MeSH