This book is devoted to the rapidly growing area of science dealing with structure and properties of biological surfaces in their relation to particular function(s). This volume, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers various surface functions such as protection, defense, water transport, anti-wetting, self cleaning, light reflection and scattering, and acoustics. Because biological surfaces have a virtually endless potential of technological ideas for the development of new materials and systems, inspirations from biology could also be interesting for a broad range of topics in surface engineering.

This book is devoted to the rapidly growing area of science dealing with structure and properties of biological surfaces in their relation to particular function(s). This volume, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers various surface functions such as protection, defense, water transport, anti-wetting, self cleaning, light reflection and scattering, and acoustics. Because biological surfaces have a virtually endless potential of technological ideas for the development of new materials and systems, inspirations from biology could also be interesting for a broad range of topics in surface engineering.

Adhesion Enhancement and Reduction in Biological Surfaces.- Adhesion Enhancement.- The Echinoderm Tube Foot and its Role in Temporary Underwater Adhesion.- Mechanisms and Principles Underlying Temporary Adhesion, Surface Exploration and Settlement Site Selection by Barnacle Cyprids: A Short Review.- Alternative Tasks of the Insect Arolium with Special Reference to Hymenoptera.- Organs of Adhesion in Some Mountain-stream Teleosts of India: Structure-Function Relationship.- Surface Characteristics of Locomotor Substrata and Their Relationship to Gekkonid Adhesion: A Case Study of Rhoptropus cf biporosus.- Adhesion Reduction.- Variable Attachment to Plant Surface Waxes by Predatory Insects.- The Waxy Surface in Nepenthes Pitcher Plants: Variability, Adaptive Significance and Developmental Evolution.- Functional Surfaces in the Pitcher of the Carnivorous Plant Nepenthes alata: A Cryo-Sem Approach.