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Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 203, Issue 11 1767-1776, Copyright © 2000 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

The functional morphology of the avian flight muscle M. Coracobrachialis posterior

JD Woolley
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Joshua_Woolley@hotmail.com

The extensive range of movement of the avian glenohumeral joint makes functional interpretation of any muscle that crosses the joint difficult. Multiple functional roles for the M. coracobrachialis posterior (CBP), an architecturally complex muscle that lies deep to the M. pectoralis, have been assigned on the basis of its anatomical position. The mechanical properties, neuromotor pattern during flight and the biochemical properties of the CBP in pigeons (Columba livia) were studied by in situ length/active tension and length/passive tension measurements, in vivo electromyography and muscle histochemistry. The action of the muscle was studied directly through in situ stimulation and measurement of humeral excursion in non-reduced preparations.




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2000