From skin folds to flight: elastic and collagen fibers architecture in the wing of the large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) | From skin folds to flight: elastic and collagen fibers architecture in the wing of the large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus)

Indonesian. Terbang pada kelelawar merupakan moda gerak utama karena mereka adalah satu-satunya mamalia yang dapat terbang. Karakteristik morfologi membran sayap diduga berperan penting dalam kemampuan terbangnya. Penelitian ini menganalisis morfologi fungsional membran sayap kelelawar besar (Pteropus vampyrus), dengan fokus pada pengaturan serat elastis dan kolagen. Dalam penelitian ini, kami menggunakan dua kelelawar dewasa yang ditangkap di alam liar dari Jawa Barat, Indonesia. Potongan jaringan membran sayap diwarnai menggunakan pewarnaan hematoksilin-eosin, trikrom Masson, dan Verhoeff-Van Gieson. Membran sayap kelelawar terdiri dari kulit berlapis ganda yang ditutupi oleh lapisan epidermis tipis. Membran sayap terdiri dari serat kolagen dan bundel elastin yang tertata rapi yang disisipkan di antara dua lapisan kulit. Serat kolagen memperkuat membran sayap dengan menahan tekanan udara, sedangkan serat elastis memberikan fleksibilitas pada sayap. Hal ini dapat menggambarkan kekuatan dan fleksibilitas membran sayap kelelawar besar selama terbang.

English. Flight in bats is the primary mode of locomotion as they are the only flying mammals. The morphological characteristics of the wing membrane have been suggested to play an important role in its flight ability. The present study analysed the functional morphology of the wing membrane of the large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus), focusing on the organisation of elastic and collagen fibres. In this study, we used two wild-caught adult flying foxes from West Java, Indonesia. The wing membrane tissue sections were stained using haematoxylin-eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and Verhoeff-Van Gieson staining. The bat wing membrane comprises double-layered skin covered by a thin epidermal layer. The wing membrane is comprised of collagen fibres and well-organised elastin bundles inserted between the two skin layers. Collagen fibres strengthen the wing membrane by holding air pressure, whereas elastic fibres provide flexibility to the wings. This can describe the strength and flexibility of the wing membranes of large flying foxes during flight