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COMMENTARY
Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes
Jeffrey P. Olberding, Stephen M. Deban
Journal of Experimental Biology 2021 224: jeb228973 doi: 10.1242/jeb.228973 Published 4 January 2021
Jeffrey P. Olberding
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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  • For correspondence: olberdij@uci.edu
Stephen M. Deban
2Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Science Center 110, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
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ABSTRACT

Temperature influences many physiological processes that govern life as a result of the thermal sensitivity of chemical reactions. The repeated evolution of endothermy and widespread behavioral thermoregulation in animals highlight the importance of elevating tissue temperature to increase the rate of chemical processes. Yet, movement performance that is robust to changes in body temperature has been observed in numerous species. This thermally robust performance appears exceptional in light of the well-documented effects of temperature on muscle contractile properties, including shortening velocity, force, power and work. Here, we propose that the thermal robustness of movements in which mechanical processes replace or augment chemical processes is a general feature of any organismal system, spanning kingdoms. The use of recoiling elastic structures to power movement in place of direct muscle shortening is one of the most thoroughly studied mechanical processes; using these studies as a basis, we outline an analytical framework for detecting thermal robustness, relying on the comparison of temperature coefficients (Q10 values) between chemical and mechanical processes. We then highlight other biomechanical systems in which thermally robust performance that arises from mechanical processes may be identified using this framework. Studying diverse movements in the context of temperature will both reveal mechanisms underlying performance and allow the prediction of changes in performance in response to a changing thermal environment, thus deepening our understanding of the thermal ecology of many organisms.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests

    The authors declare no competing or financial interests.

  • Funding

    This work was supported by The National Science Foundation (IOS-0842626 and IOS-1350929 to S.M.D.).

  • © 2021. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
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Keywords

  • Thermal sensitivity
  • Performance
  • Movement
  • Locomotion
  • Feeding
  • Temperature
  • Muscle

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COMMENTARY
Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes
Jeffrey P. Olberding, Stephen M. Deban
Journal of Experimental Biology 2021 224: jeb228973 doi: 10.1242/jeb.228973 Published 4 January 2021
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COMMENTARY
Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes
Jeffrey P. Olberding, Stephen M. Deban
Journal of Experimental Biology 2021 224: jeb228973 doi: 10.1242/jeb.228973 Published 4 January 2021

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    • What is thermal robustness?
    • Where do we find thermal robustness?
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