Locomotion Anatomy Flashcards
What is locomotion?
ability to move from one place to another
What does locomotion allow for?
– Forage for food. – Avoid stressful environments. – Pursuit of prey – Escape – Find a mate.
How does environmental media effect locomotor mechanisms?
Physical world: – Land – Air – Water • Properties of environmental media dictate locomotor mechanisms. – Friction/drag. – Viscosity/density. – Gravity/buoyancy. – Heat capacity. • Respiratory media. – Oxygen content. • Capacity to move between physical environments.
Why don’t animals have wheels? (WTF!?!?!)
• Difficulty of evolving a biological rotary engine. • Not good on uneven terrain. • Limbs can negotiate uneven terrain. • Obstacle negotiation.
What are the types of movement on land?
On Land: – Anchor crawling – Peristaltic crawling – Serpentine crawling – Hopping – Walking – Running – Pronking – Climbing – Brachiation – Jumping – Burrowing
What are the types of movement in air?
In air:
– Gliding
– Soaring
– Hovering
What are the types of movement in water?
Water: – Surface – Swimming with oars – Swimming by undulation – Swimming by jet propulsion.
What system is the skeleton, muscles and nervous supply in relation to movement?
• Skeleton: – Lever system. • Muscles: – The motor. – Chemical energy into mechanical work. • Nervous system: – Motor control. – Pattern generation.
How is the horse built for purpose?
• The Horse:
– Evolved as a prey animal, further selective
breeding for athletic performance.
• Fast and efficient locomotion.
• Cursorial, single-toed ungulate.
• Muscle makes up >50% of bodyweight.
• No muscle in the distal limbs – light weight.
• Muscles located proximally and many pennate
(power).
• Long elastic tendons for energy return.
• Strap muscles (parallel to direction of force) for
maximum ROM.
How is the dog built for purpose?
• The Dog: – Adapted for high-speed locomotion and maximum stability for sustained pursuit predation. – Cursorially specialised, digitigrade. – Elongated lower limb for maximum elastic energy storage. – Paw acts as shock absorber. – BUT selective breeding of the domestic dog has greatly warped this.
How is the racing greyhound built for purpose?
• The Racing Greyhound:
– Example of breed selected for its locomotor
specialism: sprinting.
– Hip extensor muscles that are capable of
high power production – acceleration.
– Also high locomotor muscle mass on
thoracic limb.
– Strut-like forelimbs.
– Isolation of muscles that provide power from
those that provide weight support.
How is the cheetah built for purpose?
• Extreme Speed: The Cheetah
– Proportionally long limbs.
– Less pelvic limb musculature but increased back
musculature.
– Very mobile spine allows maximisation of stride
length.
– Use of tail in manoeuvrability.
– Felids generally show
supination in the forelimb (radius and ulna unfused) for
prey manipulation and climbing.
What is the musculoskeletal system made up of?
• Muscle • Skeleton • Joints – Cartilage – Subchondral bone – Ligaments – Joint capsule – Synovium/synovial fluid • Tendons • Ligaments
How is movement controlled neurologically?
• Locomotion requires patterns of co-ordinated
movement activity.
• The Central Nervous System (CNS) generates and
controls these movements.
How are reflexes controlled?
• Muscle Spindles: – Sensory receptors in muscle that detect change in length. – Send length information to brain to determine body position. – Stretch reflex: • Sensory fibres transmit info to SC. • Reflex muscle contraction. • Protect muscles against overstretch
• Golgi Tendon organ:
– Detect tension in tendons.
– Protect muscles against overload
– Inhibit motorneurons to muscle by exciting inhibitory interneurons.
– Like muscle spindles also send proprioceptive info to brain.
