Dr Roland Ennos (MA, PhD) - research

Aquatic Integrative Biology, Biomechanics, Plant Adaptation, Acclimation and Evolution

Physics and Biology
My research aims to investigate the influence of physics on biology. In biomechanics the aim is to understand the engineering of structures in both plants and animals, while our urban greenspace research aims to understand how and why trees can improve the urban environment

Mechanics of Human Fingerprints
We have shown that the soft skin of our fingerpads behaves like rubber, increasing our grip by deforming to give a large contact area with the objects we are manipulating. It is a puzzle, therefore, why we have fingerprints, which actually reduce the contact area. We are currently testing four hypotheses: that fingerprints improve grip on rough surfaces; that they increase grip on wet surfaces; that they help keep the skin moist and hence increase grip on all surfaces; or that they keep the skin more compliant and hence prevent blistering.

Mechanics of Tree Branches and Wood
Wood is an extremely impressive material but the mechanics of branches and especially the branching points and forks is still not understood. We are currently working on how branches break when bent, and in a collaboration with Myerscough College are studying how tree forks fail. Of course man has had a long history of working with wood. We are currently looking at how orangutans build their nests, and working with Susannah Thorpe of the University of Birmingham to test her idea that bipedalism evolved in the trees. We are filming orangutans moving bipedally on compliant branches and investigating whether they use the branch compliance to increase the efficiency and safety of their locomotion.

Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees
Recent modelling we carried out suggested that urban greenspace confers major environmental benefits, cooling down the city and reducing rainfall runoff. We are collaborating with the Red Rose Forest, Manchester City Council and Barcham Trees to carry out complementary experimental studies. We are currently using specially designed experimental plots to investigate how effective tree shade is at increasing human comfort in hot weather, and to see how well trees reduce runoff. We are also investigating how the growth and performance of trees is influenced by the planting regime and how trees are likely to be affected by climate change.