QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Quillin, K. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Quillin, K. J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 202, Issue 6 661-674, Copyright © 1999 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Kinematic scaling of locomotion by hydrostatic animals: ontogeny of peristaltic crawling by the earthworm lumbricus terrestris

KJ Quillin
Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA. quillin@socrates.berkeley.edu.

This study examined the relationship between ontogenetic increase in body size and the kinematics of peristaltic locomotion by the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, a soft-bodied organism supported by a hydrostatic skeleton. Whereas the motions of most vertebrates and arthropods are based primarily on the changes in the joint angles between rigid body segments, the motions of soft-bodied organisms with hydrostatic skeletons are based primarily on the changes in dimensions of the deformable body segments themselves. The overall kinematics of peristaltic crawling and the dynamic shape changes of individual earthworm segments were measured for individuals ranging in body mass (mb) by almost three orders of magnitude (0.012-8.5 g). Preferred crawling speed varied both within and among individuals: earthworms crawled faster primarily by taking longer strides, but also by taking more strides per unit time and by decreasing duty factor. On average, larger worms crawled at a greater absolute speed than smaller worms (U p2finity mb0.33) and did so by taking slightly longer strides (l p2finity mb0.41, where l is stride length) than expected by geometric similarity, using slightly lower stride frequencies (f p2finity mb-0.07) and the same duty factor (df p2finity mb-0.03). Circumferential and longitudinal body wall strains were generally independent of body mass, while strain rates changed little as a function of body mass. Given the extent of kinematic variation within and among earthworms, the crawling of earthworms of different sizes can be considered to show kinematic similarity when the kinematic variables are normalized by body length. Since the motions of peristaltic organisms are based primarily on changes in the dimensions of the deformable body wall, the scaling of the material properties of the body wall is probably an especially important determinant of the scaling of the kinematics of locomotion.
CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. A. Woods Jr, S. J. Fusillo, and B. A. Trimmer Dynamic properties of a locomotory muscle of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta during strain cycling and simulated natural crawling J. Exp. Biol., March 15, 2008; 211(6): 873 - 882. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Trimmer and J. Issberner Kinematics of Soft-bodied, Legged Locomotion in Manduca sexta Larvae Biol. Bull., April 1, 2007; 212(2): 130 - 142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. S. Wethey and S. A. Woodin Infaunal Hydraulics Generate Porewater Pressure Signals Biol. Bull., October 1, 2005; 209(2): 139 - 145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Herrel, S. Van Wassenbergh, S. Wouters, D. Adriaens, and P. Aerts A functional morphological approach to the scaling of the feeding system in the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus J. Exp. Biol., June 1, 2005; 208(11): 2091 - 2102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Mezoff, N. Papastathis, A. Takesian, and B. A. Trimmer The biomechanical and neural control of hydrostatic limb movements in Manduca sexta J. Exp. Biol., September 1, 2004; 207(17): 3043 - 3053. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. McHenry and J. Jed The ontogenetic scaling of hydrodynamics and swimming performance in jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2003; 206(22): 4125 - 4137. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Toro, A. Herrel, B. Vanhooydonck, and D. J. Irschick A biomechanical analysis of intra- and interspecific scaling of jumping and morphology in Caribbean Anolis lizards J. Exp. Biol., August 1, 2003; 206(15): 2641 - 2652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Quillin Ontogenetic scaling of burrowing forces in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris J. Exp. Biol., January 9, 2000; 203(18): 2757 - 2770. [Abstract] [PDF]