scholarly journals Asymmetrical Muscle Activity During Feeding in the Gar, Lepisosteus Oculatus

1980 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32
Author(s):  
G. V. LAUDER ◽  
S. M. NORTON
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Spotted Gar ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
The Right ◽  
Epaxial Muscles ◽  
Lepisosteus Oculatus

Prey capture in the spotted gar, Lepisosteus oculatus, was studied by high-speed cinematography synchronized with electromyographic recordings of cranial muscle activity. Muscle activity patterns were recorded during each of the three major phases of feeding: the initial strike at the prey, manipulation of the prey following capture, and swallowing. With one exception, the obliquus superioris, all muscles at the strike are active in a bilaterally symmetrical pattern. During the manipulation phase two distinct muscle activity patterns occur: one is characterized by symmetrical activity in the epaxial muscles and obliquus inferioris, the other by complete asymmetry between the right and left sternohyoideus, obliquus superioris, and epaxial muscles. Low-amplitude manipulatory movements are characterized by activity in one side of the sternohyoideus only, all other muscles being generally inactive. The adductor mandibulae and obliquus inferioris are always active symmetrically. Asymmetrical activity in the sternohyoideus, epaxial muscles, and obliquus superioris correlates with lateral head movements during feeding and acts to rotate prey into the preferred orientation for swallowing. The pattern of asymmetrical activity between right and left side muscles is discussed in relation to previous studies of feeding which utilized only unilateral muscle recordings.

Kinematics of Tongue Projection in Chamaeleo Oustaleti

1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER C. WAINWRIGHT ◽  
DAVID M. KRAKLAU ◽  
ALBERT F. BENNETT
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Florida State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Maximum Acceleration ◽  
Related Family ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
Tongue Movements

The kinematics of prey capture by the chamaeleonid lizard Chamaeleo oustaleti were studied using high-speed cinematography. Three feeding sequences from each of two individuals were analyzed for strike distances of 20 and 35 cm, at 30°C. Ten distances and angles were measured from sequential frames beginning approximately 0.5 s prior to tongue projection and continuing for about 1.0 s. Sixteen additional variables, documenting maximum excursions and the timing of events, were calculated from the kinematic profiles. Quantified descriptions of head, hyoid and tongue movements are presented. Previously unrecognized rapid protraction of the hyobranchial skeleton simultaneously with the onset of tongue projection was documented and it is proposed that this assists the accelerator muscle in powering tongue projection. Acceleration of the tongue occurred in about 20ms, reaching a maximum acceleration of 486 m s−2 and maximum velocity of 5.8m s−1 in 35 cm strikes. Deceleration of the tongue usually began within 5 ms before prey contract and the direction of tongue movement was reversed within 10 ms of prey contact. Retraction of the tongue, caused by shortening of the retractor muscles, reached a maximum velocity of 2.99 ms−1 and was complete 330 ms after prey contact. Projection distance influences many aspects of prey capture kinematics, particularly projection time, tongue retraction time and the extent of gape and head movements during tongue retraction, all of which are smaller in shorter feedings. Though several features of the chameleon strike have apparently been retained from lizards not capable of ballistic tongue projection, key differences are documented. Unlike members of a related family, the Agamidae, C. oustaleti uses no body lunge during prey capture, exhibits gape reduction during tongue projection and strongly depresses the head and jaws during tongue retraction. Note: Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.

TAIL MUSCLE ACTIVITY PATTERNS IN WALKING AND FLYING PIGEONS (COLUMBA LIVIA)

1993 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Gatesy ◽  
K. P. Dial
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Columba Livia ◽  
Trunk Muscles ◽  
Avian Evolution ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Temporal Flexibility ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
Tail Muscle

The electrical activity of major caudal muscles of the pigeon (Columba livia) was recorded during five modes of aerial and terrestrial locomotion. Tail muscle electromyograms were correlated with movement using high-speed cinematography and compared to activity in selected muscles of the wings, legs and trunk. During walking, the pectoralis and most tail muscles are normally inactive, but levator muscle activity alternates with the striding legs. In flight, caudal muscles are phasically active with each wingbeat and undergo distinct changes in electromyographic pattern between liftoff, takeoff, slow level flapping and landing modes. The temporal flexibility of tail muscle activity differs significantly from the stereotypic timing of wing muscles in pigeons performing the same flight modes. These neural programs may represent different solutions to the control of flight surfaces in the rapidly oscillating wing and the relatively stationary caudal skeleton. Birds exhibit a novel alliance of tail and forelimb use during aerial locomotion. We suggest that there is evidence of anatomical and functional decoupling of the tail from adjacent hindlimb and trunk muscles during avian evolution to facilitate its specialization for rectricial control in flight.

The C-start escape response ofPolypterus senegalus: bilateral muscle activity and variation during stage 1 and 2

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (17) ◽  
pp. 2591-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Tytell ◽  
George V. Lauder
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Escape Response ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Wave Speed ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fast Start ◽  
Stage 1

SUMMARYThe fast-start escape response is the primary reflexive escape mechanism in a wide phylogenetic range of fishes. To add detail to previously reported novel muscle activity patterns during the escape response of the bichir, Polypterus, we analyzed escape kinematics and muscle activity patterns in Polypterus senegalus using high-speed video and electromyography (EMG). Five fish were filmed at 250 Hz while synchronously recording white muscle activity at five sites on both sides of the body simultaneously (10 sites in total). Body wave speed and center of mass velocity, acceleration and curvature were calculated from digitized outlines. Six EMG variables per channel were also measured to characterize the motor pattern. P. senegalus shows a wide range of activity patterns, from very strong responses, in which the head often touched the tail, to very weak responses. This variation in strength is significantly correlated with the stimulus and is mechanically driven by changes in stage 1 muscle activity duration. Besides these changes in duration, the stage 1 muscle activity is unusual because it has strong bilateral activity, although the observed contralateral activity is significantly weaker and shorter in duration than ipsilateral activity. Bilateral activity may stiffen the body, but it does so by a constant amount over the variation we observed; therefore, P. senegalus does not modulate fast-start wave speed by changing body stiffness. Escape responses almost always have stage 2 contralateral muscle activity, often only in the anterior third of the body. The magnitude of the stage 2 activity is the primary predictor of final escape velocity.

Kinematic analysis of tongue movements during chemosensory behaviour in the European green lizard, Lacerta viridis (Reptilia: Lacertidae)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1886-1896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Goosse ◽  
Vincent L. Bels
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
Tongue Movements ◽  
Lacerta Viridis ◽  
Tongue Flicking ◽  
Stationary Interval ◽  
Tongue Displacement

High-speed cinematography (100 frames/s) was used to allow quantitative analysis of the kinematic profiles of tongue and jaw displacements during chemosensory activities in the scleroglossan lizard Lacerta viridis. The types of tongue flicking were simple downward extensions (SDE), single oscillations (SOC), and submultiple oscillations (SMOC) of the tongue out of the mouth. The SMOC type involves a downward or upward movement of the tongue performed before a typical oscillation and it is therefore suggested that this is an intermediate category of flick between the typical SOC and MOC of lizards. Closing and opening of the mouth in SDE, SOC, and SMOC cycles may or may not be separated by a stationary stage during which the jaws are held open at a constant gape. The duration of this stationary interval increases from SDE to SMOC. Gape cycles do not show any division into slow and fast stages. The gape is produced largely by depression of the lower jaw; the upper jaw is slightly elevated by protrusion of the tongue. Patterns of correlation of kinematic variables depicting jaw and tongue movements differed between SDE, SOC, and SMOC. A principal component analysis shows that the three flick types overlap in a multivariate space constructed from the kinematic variables depicting jaw and tongue displacements. Overlap between SOC and SMOC categories is greater than that between SOC, SMOC, and SDE categories. The kinematic patterns of tongue displacement during SMOC in Lacerta viridis show similarities with those of MOC in other lizards and in snakes. Kinematically, the pattern of jaw and tongue displacements of Lacerta viridis during chemosensory activities shows similarities with those that occur during drinking and prey capture.

Unilateral ciliary reversal and motor responses during prey capture by the ctenophore Pleurobrachia

1985 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 443-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Tamm ◽  
A. G. Moss
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Ciliary Reversal ◽  
High Speed Cinematography

High-speed cinematography of feeding Pleurobrachia revealed a stereo-typed sequence of ciliary motor responses underlying the feeding behaviour of this ctenophore. Prey capture by a tentacle first elicited high frequency beating in all comb rows, propelling the animal forward at a rapid speed for several seconds. This was followed by a brief period of inactivity on some or all comb rows. Then comb rows adjacent to the catching tentacle beat in the reverse direction, causing the ctenophore to spin rapidly toward this side and sweeping the prey-catching tentacle to the opened mouth, which bent towards it. After engulfing the prey, the animal slowly swam forward to re-set the relaxed tentacles as a fishing net. The patterns, timing, onset and coordination of these ciliary responses, particularly the unilateral reversal of comb rows on the catching side, are analysed with respect to possible conducting pathways mediating this behaviour.

Variation in the feeding kinematics of mole salamanders (Ambystomatidae: Ambystoma)

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Beneski Jr. ◽  
John H. Larsen Jr. ◽  
Brian T. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Mouth Opening ◽  
General Increase ◽  
Feeding Kinematics ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
Mode A ◽  
General Reduction

High-speed cinematography was used to investigate the prey-capture kinematics of six species of mole salamanders (Ambystomatidae). We compared the feeding behavior of the subgenus Ambystoma (A. californiense and A. macrodactylum) with that of the subgenus Linguaelapsus (A. mabeei, A. texanum, A. annulatum, and A. cingulatum). Prey capture by all six species is characterized by a 3-part gape cycle (a period of rapid mouth opening prior to extraoral tongue protraction, followed by a period of relatively stable gape angle during extraoral tongue protraction and retraction, followed by a period of rapid mouth closure), a tongue-extension cycle (protraction and retraction), and anterior head–body displacement. Among the six species, two distinct modes of prey capture are evident: (1) the Ambystoma mode (A. californiense, A. macrodactylum, A. mabeei, and A. texanum), and (2) the Linguaelapsus mode (A. annulatum and A. cingulatum). Most differences in prey-capture kinematics between the two modes are primarily differences of degree rather than the addition or loss of unique behaviors, and include a general reduction in the gape angles and a general increase in the elapsed times associated with specific events in the Linguaelapsus mode. We hypothesize that these differences are primarily the result of a prolonged period of tongue protraction in the Linguaelapsus mode during which the glandular tongue pad is fitted to the prey. In addition to differing from each other, the gape profiles of the ambystomatid subgenera differ markedly from the 4-part gape profiles of plethodontids and salamandrids.

scholarly journals Neuromuscular adjustments of gait associated with unstable conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 2867-2882 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Martino ◽  
Y. P. Ivanenko ◽  
A. d'Avella ◽  
M. Serrao ◽  
A. Ranavolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Human Locomotion ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Muscle Activations ◽  
The Right ◽  
Weighting Coefficients ◽  
Synergistic Muscle ◽  
Non Negative Matrix Factorization

A compact description of coordinated muscle activity is provided by the factorization of electromyographic (EMG) signals. With the use of this approach, it has consistently been shown that multimuscle activity during human locomotion can be accounted for by four to five modules, each one comprised of a basic pattern timed at a different phase of gait cycle and the weighting coefficients of synergistic muscle activations. These modules are flexible, in so far as the timing of patterns and the amplitude of weightings can change as a function of gait speed and mode. Here we consider the adjustments of the locomotor modules related to unstable walking conditions. We compared three different conditions, i.e., locomotion of healthy subjects on slippery ground (SL) and on narrow beam (NB) and of cerebellar ataxic (CA) patients on normal ground. Motor modules were computed from the EMG signals of 12 muscles of the right lower limb using non-negative matrix factorization. The unstable gait of SL, NB, and CA showed significant changes compared with controls in the stride length, stride width, range of angular motion, and trunk oscillations. In most subjects of all three unstable conditions, >70% of the overall variation of EMG waveforms was accounted for by four modules that were characterized by a widening of muscle activity patterns. This suggests that the nervous system adopts the strategy of prolonging the duration of basic muscle activity patterns to cope with unstable conditions resulting from either slippery ground, reduced support surface, or pathology.

The Mechanism of Tongue Projection in Chameleons: I. Electromyographic Tests of Functional Hypotheses

1992 ◽  
Vol 168 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER C. WAINWRIGHT ◽  
ALBERT F. BENNETT
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Single Burst ◽  
Intense Activity ◽  
Test Current

In this paper we document the activity of key muscles of the tongue, hyobranchial apparatus and head during prey capture in the lizard Chamaeleo jacksonii Boulenger and use these data to test current hypotheses of chameleon tongue function. Electromyographic recordings were made during 27 feedings from nine individuals and synchronized with high-speed video recordings (200 fields s−1), permitting an assessment of the activity of muscles relative to the onset of tongue projection, contact between tongue and prey, and tongue retraction. Four major results were obtained. (1) The hyoglossi muscles exhibit a single burst of activity that begins between 10 ms before and 20 ms after the onset of tongue projection and continues throughout the period of tongue retraction. (2) The accelerator muscle exhibits a biphasic activity pattern, with the first burst lasting about 185 ms and ending an average of 10.6 ms prior to the onset of projection. (3) The accelerator muscle shows regional variation in morphology that corresponds with variation in motor pattern. The anterior region of the muscle, unlike the posterior portion, exhibits only a single burst of activity that begins 2.5 ms after the onset of tongue projection and is thus not involved in launching the tongue. (4) The geniohyoidei, sternohyoidei, sternothyroidei, depressor mandibulae, adductor mandibulae and pterygoideus all exhibit activity patterns consistent with previously reported kinematic patterns and their proposed roles. The major implications of these results for models of the chameleon feeding mechanism are (1) that the hyoglossi do not act to hold the tongue on the entoglossal process during a loading period prior to tongue projection, and (2) that the presence of 185 ms of intense activity in the accelerator muscle prior to tongue projection suggests the presence of a preloading mechanism, the nature of which is the subject of the companion paper.

Environmental effects on undulatory locomotion in the American eel Anguilla rostrata: kinematics in water and on land

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (7) ◽  
pp. 949-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Gillis
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
The Body ◽  
Anguilla Rostrata ◽  
American Eel ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion ◽  
Longitudinal Position

Historically, the study of swimming eels (genus Anguilla) has been integral to our understanding of the mechanics and muscle activity patterns used by fish to propel themselves in the aquatic environment. However, no quantitative kinematic analysis has been reported for these animals. Additionally, eels are known to make transient terrestrial excursions, and in the past it has been presumed (but never tested) that the patterns of undulatory movement used terrestrially are similar to those used during swimming. In this study, high-speed video was used to characterize the kinematic patterns of undulatory locomotion in water and on land in the American eel Anguilla rostrata. During swimming, eels show a nonlinear increase in the amplitude of lateral undulations along their bodies, reaching an average maximum of 0.08L, where L is total length, at the tip of the tail. However, in contrast to previous observations, the most anterior regions of their bodies do not undergo significant undulation. In addition, a temporal lag (typically 10–15 % of an undulatory cycle) exists between maximal flexion and displacement at any given longitudinal position. Swimming speed does not have a consistent effect on this lag or on the stride length (distance moved per tailbeat) of the animal. Speed does have subtle (although statistically insignificant) effects on the patterns of undulatory amplitude and intervertebral flexion along the body. On land, eels also use lateral undulations to propel themselves; however, their entire bodies are typically bent into waves, and the undulatory amplitude at all body positions is significantly greater than during swimming at equivalent speeds. The temporal lag between flexion and displacement seen during swimming is not present during terrestrial locomotion. While eels cannot move forwards as quickly on land as they do in water, they do increase locomotor speed with increasing tailbeat frequency. The clear kinematic distinctions present between aquatic and terrestrial locomotor sequences suggest that eels might be using different axial muscle activity patterns to locomote in the different environments.

Prey capture in the chain pickerel, Esox niger: correlations between feeding and locomotor behavior

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1072-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Rand ◽  
George V. Lauder
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Mouth Opening ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Jaw Movements ◽  
Suction Velocity ◽  
Locomotor Pattern ◽  
Mechanical Unit ◽  
High Speed Cinematography ◽  
Locomotor Patterns

The predatory behavior of the chain pickerel Esox niger was studied by high-speed cinematography to correlate patterns of jaw bone movement with locomotor patterns. Pattern B strikes were initiated at significantly shorter distances from the prey, had higher acceleration rates, and the velocity of mouth opening and suspensorial abduction was greater than for pattern A strikes. No difference was found in the excursion amplitudes of jaw movements between pattern A and pattern B strikes. Significant differences were found between midwater and corner strikes in the amplitude of mouth opening and hyoid depression: both were smaller in corner attacks and suction velocity was higher. Both velocity and amplitude of each mechanical unit in the head can be varied depending on the locomotor pattern and the position of the prey.

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