Locomotion Lecture 21

Question 1

What are the advantages of an aquatic environment?

Answer 1

Requires less energy to move through the water

Gravity is less in water

Question 2

What is the disadvantage of an aquatic environment

Answer 2

Skin (friction) and form (drag) slows down

Question 3

What is the advantage of an terrestrial environment?

Answer 3

Adapted to locomotion (bipedalism

Question 4

What is the disadvantage of a terrestrial environment?

Answer 4

Terrestrial animals require a strong skeleton and powerful muscle for locomotion

Question 5

What are the advantages of flying species?

Answer 5

Very light in weight bodies to minimise the effects of gravity
Wings which have a large surface area

Question 6

What are the disadvantages of flying species

Answer 6

How they overcome the effect of gravity by flying

Question 7

Describe muscle as engines

Answer 7

Device that can harness energy from some substance (food) and convert it into a usable form

Question 8

What factors affect the energy cost of locomotion

Answer 8

• Swimming is the most energy
efficient per kg (no gravity)
• Flying better than running, but
only small animals can fly and
energy consumption per minute
is extremely high
The larger the animal, the
less energy it expends (per
kg body mass) to move the
same absolute distance
(but the more energy in
total it must consume*)