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

First published online January 17, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 484-494 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02662

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JEB 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 Pontzer, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pontzer, H. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Predicting the energy cost of terrestrial locomotion: a test of the LiMb model in humans and quadrupeds

Herman Pontzer

Washington University, 119 McMillan Hall, St Louis, MO 63130, USA

e-mail: hpontzer{at}artsci.wustl.edu

Accepted 22 November 2006

The energy cost of terrestrial locomotion has been linked to the muscle forces generated to support body weight and swing the limbs. The LiMb model predicts these forces, and hence locomotor cost, as a function of limb length and basic kinematic variables. Here, I test this model in humans, goats and dogs in order to assess the performance of the LiMb model in predicting locomotor cost for bipeds and quadrupeds. Model predictions were compared to observed locomotor cost, measured via oxygen consumption, during treadmill trials performed over a range of speeds for both walking and running gaits. The LiMb model explained more of the variation in locomotor cost than other predictors, including contact time, Froude number and body mass. The LiMb model also accurately predicted the magnitude of vertical ground forces. Results suggest the LiMb model reliably links locomotor anatomy to force production and locomotor cost. Further, these data support the idea that limb length may underlie the scaling of locomotor cost for terrestrial animals.

Key words: terrestrial locomotion, locomotor energetics, limb length, biomechanics

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

Related articles in JEB:

LONG LIMBS COST LESS

Laura Blackburn
JEB 2007 210: ii. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Pontzer, J. H. Holloway 4th, D. A. Raichlen, and D. E. Lieberman Control and function of arm swing in human walking and running J. Exp. Biol., February 15, 2009; 212(4): 523 - 534. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. J. McElroy, K. L. Hickey, and S. M. Reilly The correlated evolution of biomechanics, gait and foraging mode in lizards J. Exp. Biol., April 1, 2008; 211(7): 1029 - 1040. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Biewener and M. A. Daley Unsteady locomotion: integrating muscle function with whole body dynamics and neuromuscular control J. Exp. Biol., September 1, 2007; 210(17): 2949 - 2960. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Sockol, D. A. Raichlen, and H. Pontzer Chimpanzee locomotor energetics and the origin of human bipedalism PNAS, July 24, 2007; 104(30): 12265 - 12269. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Pontzer Effective limb length and the scaling of locomotor cost in terrestrial animals J. Exp. Biol., May 15, 2007; 210(10): 1752 - 1761. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Blackburn LONG LIMBS COST LESS J. Exp. Biol., February 1, 2007; 210(3): ii - ii. [Full Text] [PDF]