Biomechanics and kinematics of limb-based locomotion in lizards: review, synthesis and prospectus

Russell, Anthony P.; Bels, Vincent

doi:10.1016/s1095-6433(01)00469-x

Cited by 85 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…There is a broad literature on lizard locomotor biomechanics (Russell and Bels, 2001); however, there are relatively few studies that have investigated the relationship between locomotion and adhesion in pad-bearing species Irschick et al, 2003;Vanhooydonck et al, 2005;Dai et al, 2011). Furthermore, although the mechanisms behind gecko adhesion have been studied across multiple length scales (Irschick et al, 1996;Autumn et al, 2000Autumn et al, , 2002Huber et al, 2005a;Tian et al, 2006;Zhao et al, 2008), no studies directly address the effect of wet substrates on dynamic locomotor performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Run don't walk: locomotor performance of geckos on wet substrates

Stark

Ohlemacher

Knight

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The gecko adhesive system has been under particular scrutiny for over a decade, as the field has recently attracted attention for its application to bio-inspired design. However, little is known about how the adhesive system behaves in ecologically relevant conditions. Geckos inhabit a variety of environments, many of which are characterized by high temperature, humidity and rain. The van der Waals-based gecko adhesive system should be particularly challenged by wet substrates because water can disrupt the intimate contact necessary for adhesion. While a few previous studies have focused on the clinging ability of geckos on wet substrates, we tested a dynamic performance characteristic, sprint velocity. To better understand how substrate wettability and running orientation affect locomotor performance of multiple species on wet substrates, we measured average sprint velocity of five species of gecko on substrates that were either hydrophilic or intermediately wetting and oriented either vertically or horizontally. Surprisingly, we found no indication that wet substrates impact average sprint velocity over 1 m, and rather, in some species, sprint velocity was increased on wet substrates rather than reduced. When investigating physical characteristics and behavior that may be associated with running on wet substrates, such as total number of stops, slips and wet toes at the completion of a race, we found that there may be habitat-related differences between some species. Our results show that in general, unlike clinging and walking, geckos running along wet substrates suffer no significant loss in locomotor performance over short distances.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Run don't walk: locomotor performance of geckos on wet substrates

Stark

Ohlemacher

Knight

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Several descriptions of lizard locomotor kinematics now exist (e.g. Fieler and Jayne, 1998;Irschick and Jayne, 1998;1999;2000;Russell and Bels, 2001), but most studies focus mainly on North and Central American species. Few study South American lizards (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bipedalism has evolved on numerous occasions in phylogenetically diverse families such as iguanids, agamids and teiids (Irschick and Jayne, 1999;Irschick and Garland, 2001;Russell and Bels, 2001), particularly among the species that live in sandy, rocky or open environments (Snyder, 1952). As this bipedal locomotion is probably not an ancestral trait for lacertilians, parallel evolution must have occurred (Aerts et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bipedal locomotion in Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) and Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938

et al. 2008

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Bipedalism has evolved on numerous occasions in phylogenetically diverse lizard families. In this paper we describe, for the first time, bipedal locomotion on South American lizards, the sand-dweller Liolaemus lutzae and the generalist Tropidurus torquatus. The lizards were videotaped running on a racetrack and the sequences were analyzed frame by frame. The body posture, as a whole, diverged a lot during bipedal locomotion between the two species, even though there was no difference regarding their sprint performance. The locomotor behavior of L. lutzae is, in general, more similar to the one observed on other sand-dweller lizards. Certain particularities are common, such as the digitigrade posture at footfall and throughout stance, trunk angles; and tail posture. In contrast, T. torquatus exhibited high trunk angles and dragged its tail, in a posture compared to basilisks. This body posture could be related to certain characteristics and obstacles of a microhabitat such as the one around lakes and streams (basilisks) and the one with compact shrubby vegetation (T. torquatus).Keywords: bipedality, kinematics, locomotion, Tropidurus, Liolaemus. Bipedalismo em Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) e Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938Resumo O bipedalismo apareceu em inúmeras ocasiões em famílias de lagartos filogeneticamente diversas. Neste trabalho, descrevemos, pela primeira vez, locomoção bipedal em lagartos sul-americanos, o lagarto de hábito terrestre Liolaemus lutzae e o generalista Tropidurus torquatus. Os lagartos foram filmados correndo em uma pista de corrida e as seqü-ências foram analisadas quadro a quadro. A postura corporal, como um todo, divergiu bastante durante a locomoção bipedal das duas espécies, mesmo quando não houve diferença significativa em relação ao desempenho locomotor. O comportamento locomotor de L. lutzae é, em geral, similar ao observado em outros lagartos especialistas em solos arenosos. Certas particularidades são comuns, como a postura digitígrada no momento de apoio e durante a fase de apoio; ângulos do corpo e postura da cauda. Em contraste, T. torquatus exibiu altos ângulos corporais e arrastava sua cauda, numa postura comparada à dos lagartos basiliscos. Este tipo de postura corporal pode estar relacionado com certas características e obstáculos de um microhabitat como ao redor de rios e riachos (basiliscos) e uma vegetação de arbustos compacta (T. torquatus).

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“…4). This was particularly evident for lateral (yaw) rotations, which showed values of nearly 208 for walking and 108 for swimming per cycle, comparable to pelvic motions in many non-shelled taxa (Jenkins 1971;Gatesy 1991;Pridmore 1992;Reilly and Delancey 1997;Russell and Bels 2001;Nyakatura et al 2014). In contrast, the pleurodire pelvis was essentially immobile in both locomotor environments (Fig.…”

Section: Impacts Of Pelvic-shell Fusion On the Locomotion Of Pleurodimentioning

confidence: 68%

“On the Fence” versus “All in”: Insights from Turtles for the Evolution of Aquatic Locomotor Specializations and Habitat Transitions in Tetrapod Vertebrates

Blob

Mayerl

Rivera

et al. 2016

Integr. Comp. Biol.

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Synopsis Though ultimately descended from terrestrial amniotes, turtles have deep roots as an aquatic lineage and are quite diverse in the extent of their aquatic specializations. Many taxa can be viewed as ''on the fence'' between aquatic and terrestrial realms, whereas others have independently hyperspecialized and moved ''all in'' to aquatic habitats. Such differences in specialization are reflected strongly in the locomotor system. We have conducted several studies to evaluate the performance consequences of such variation in design, as well as the mechanisms through which specialization for aquatic locomotion is facilitated in turtles. One path to aquatic hyperspecialization has involved the evolutionary transformation of the forelimbs from rowing, tubular limbs with distal paddles into flapping, flattened flippers, as in sea turtles. Prior to the advent of any hydrodynamic advantages, the evolution of such flippers may have been enabled by a reduction in twisting loads on proximal limb bones that accompanied swimming in rowing ancestors, facilitating a shift from tubular to flattened limbs. Moreover, the control of flapping movements appears related primarily to shifts in the activity of a single forelimb muscle, the deltoid. Despite some performance advantages, flapping may entail a locomotor cost in terms of decreased locomotor stability. However, other morphological specializations among rowing species may enhance swimming stability. For example, among highly aquatic pleurodiran turtles, fusion of the pelvis to the shell appears to dramatically reduce motions of the pelvis compared to freshwater cryptodiran species. This could contribute to advantageous increases in aquatic stability among predominantly aquatic pleurodires. Thus, even within the potential constraints of a body plan in which the body is encased by a shell, turtles exhibit diverse locomotor capacities that have enabled diversification into a wide range of aquatic habitats.

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Biomechanics and kinematics of limb-based locomotion in lizards: review, synthesis and prospectus

Cited by 85 publications

References 91 publications

Run don't walk: locomotor performance of geckos on wet substrates

Run don't walk: locomotor performance of geckos on wet substrates

Bipedal locomotion in Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) and Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938

“On the Fence” versus “All in”: Insights from Turtles for the Evolution of Aquatic Locomotor Specializations and Habitat Transitions in Tetrapod Vertebrates

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