Walking and running with short legs and long: the scaling and ontogeny of the muscle mechanical compromise.

James Usherwood (primary)
CBS
Royal Veterinary College
Alan Wilson (secondary)
CBS
Royal Veterinary College

Abstract

Animals do not locomote in manners that minimize the mechanical work requirements. Nor do they move in ways that allow most economical use of muscle. Animals must balance these two demands, with appropriate compromises scaling with size and speed. This project will combine field (GPS/IMU) and lab-based (force, treadmill) studies of locomotion kinetics, and direct measurement of ex vivo / in vitro muscle properties, to examine the consequences of scale for locomotion and form in walking and running birds from quail to ostrich.


References

Usherwood, J.R. (2013). Constraints on muscle performance provide a novel explanation for the scaling of posture in terrestrial animals. Biology Letters 9. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0414

Hubel, T.Y. and Usherwood, J.R. (2015). Children and adults minimize activated muscle volume by selecting gait parameters that balance gross mechanical power and work demands. J. Exp. Biol. 218, 2830-2839. PMC4582168

Usherwood, J.R. (2016). The Muscle–Mechanical compromise framework: implications for the scaling of gait and posture. Journal of Human Kinetics 52, 107-114.

Portugal, S.J., Hubel, T.Y., Fritz, J., Heese, S., Trobe, D., Voelkl, B., Hailes, S., Wilson, A.M. & Usherwood, J.R. (2014). Upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight. Nature 505, 399-402. doi:10.1038/nature12939

Wilson, A.M., Lowe, J.C., Roskilly, K., Hudson, P.E., Golabek, K.A. & McNutt, J.W. (2013). Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs. Nature 498, 185-189.

West T.G., Toepfer C.N., Woledge R.C., Curtin N.A., Rowlerson A., Kalakoutis M., et al. (2013). Power output of skinned skeletal muscle fibres from the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). J Exp Biol. 216(15):2974-82.

Wilson A.M., Hubel T.Y., Wilshin S.D., Lowe J.C., Lorenc M., Dewhirst O.P., et al. (2018). Biomechanics of predator–prey arms race in lion, zebra, cheetah and impala. Nature. 554, 183-188


BBSRC Area
Genes, development and STEM* approaches to biology
Area of Biology
Physiology
Techniques & Approaches
EngineeringSimulation / Modelling