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Journal of Experimental Biology 40,111-121 (1963)
Published by Company of Biologists 1963

The Effect of Temperature on Locust Flight Muscle

A. C. NEVILLE ¹ and TORKEL WEIS-FOGH ¹

¹ Zoophysiological Laboratory B, 36 Juliane Maries Vej, Copenhagen University, Denmark

Mechanical and electrical responses were studied in isolated nerve-muscle preparations at various temperatures, mainly in relation to current problems in locust flight.

1. The delay between the peak of the action potential and the onset of a twitch is 1 msec. and independent of temperature from 30 to 45° C. (the range encountered in sustained flight), indicating that physical rather than chemical processes are responsible for the main time-consuming links in the excitation-contraction coupling.

2. There is no mechanical staircase effect in a succession of twitches and no post-tetanic potentiation so that identical and closely spaced twitches, as well as doubly fired contractions, can follow each other in long trains.

3. Above 25° C., the tetanus: twitch ratio is 2 and the work is independent of temperature.

4. Two closely timed stimuli (double firing; 2-10 msec. interval) may result in 2 to 3 times more work than in a twitch. The increase is graded by the interval and the contraction is prolonged over that of the twitch only by this interval.

5. The twitch durations are smaller than previously reported so that the loss of energy due to interaction between antagonists is insignificant during normal flight, in both singly and doubly fired contractions.

6. The temperature-dependence of locust flight is in accordance with the properties of the isolated nerve-muscle preparation.

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