Motor control of the mandible closer muscle in ants

Paul, Jürgen; Gronenberg, Wulfila

doi:10.1016/s0022-1910(01)00171-8

Cited by 30 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This was to be expected given that 0md1 is by far the largest muscle in the dragonfly head (Beutel et al, 2013;von Kéler, 1963). During the strongest bite cycle analysed ( Figs 2B, 4A), we could also record the characteristic additional activation of the so-called 'slower muscle fibres' already reported in, for example, ants (Paul and Gronenberg, 1999), which can produce higher forces at slower activation speeds (Paul and Gronenberg, 2002). The temporal activation pattern simulated by the AnyBody Modeling System™ model thus corresponds to earlier in vivo measurements of muscle neuronal control and activation (Paul and Gronenberg, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…During the strongest bite cycle analysed ( Figs 2B, 4A), we could also record the characteristic additional activation of the so-called 'slower muscle fibres' already reported in, for example, ants (Paul and Gronenberg, 1999), which can produce higher forces at slower activation speeds (Paul and Gronenberg, 2002). The temporal activation pattern simulated by the AnyBody Modeling System™ model thus corresponds to earlier in vivo measurements of muscle neuronal control and activation (Paul and Gronenberg, 2002). The conspicuous pattern of the strongest recorded bite cycles shows that our simulation can account for slight variations in bite geometry and model muscle activation patterns accordingly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

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Musculoskeletal modeling of the dragonfly mandible system as an aid to understanding the role of single muscles in an evolutionary context

David

Funken

Potthast

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Insects show a great variety of mouthpart and muscle configurations; however, knowledge of their mouthpart kinematics and muscle activation patterns is fragmentary. Understanding the role of muscle groups during movement and comparing them between insect groups could yield insights into evolutionary patterns and functional constraints. Here, we developed a mathematical inverse dynamic model including distinct muscles for an insect head-mandiblemuscle complex based on micro-computed tomography (µCT) data and bite force measurements. With the advent of µCT, it is now possible to obtain precise spatial information about muscle attachment areas and head capsule construction in insects. Our model shows a distinct activation pattern for certain fibre groups potentially related to a geometry-dependent optimization. Muscle activation patterns suggest that intramandibular muscles play a minor role in bite force generation, which is a potential reason for their loss in several lineages of higher insects. Our model is in agreement with previous studies investigating fast and slow muscle fibres and is able to resolve the spatio-temporal activation patterns of these different muscle types in insects. The model used here has a high potential for large-scale comparative analyses on the role of different muscle setups and head capsule designs in the megadiverse insects in order to aid our understanding of insect head capsule and mouthpart evolution under mechanical constraints.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Musculoskeletal modeling of the dragonfly mandible system as an aid to understanding the role of single muscles in an evolutionary context

David

Funken

Potthast

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Most ants have a mixture of long-and short-sarcomere fibers in their jaw adductors, and their jaw movements may be five to ten times faster than nonpower-amplified Odontomachus jaw closures (Gronenberg et al, 1997;Paul and Gronenberg, 2002). The low speeds of normal jaw movements do not appear to be a problem for these ants, as the workers are generally monomorphic and can perform all nest tasks (carrying food, moving larvae and eggs, moving nesting materials) using their oversized, slow-contracting jaws.…”

Section: Scaling and Force-production In Trap-jaw Antsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogeny, scaling, and the generation of extreme forces in trap-jaw ants

Spagna

Vakis

Schmidt

et al. 2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYTrap-jaw ants of the genus Odontomachus produce remarkably fast predatory strikes. The closing mandibles of Odontomachus bauri, for example, can reach speeds of over 60·m·s -1 . They use these jaw strikes for both prey capture and locomotion -by striking hard surfaces, they can launch themselves into the air. We tested the hypothesis that morphological variation across the genus is correlated with differences in jaw speeds and accelerations. We video-recorded jaw-strikes at 70·000-100·000·frames·s -1 to measure these parameters and to model force production. Differences in mean speeds ranged from 35.9±7.7·m·s -1 for O. chelifer, to 48.8±8.9·m·s -1 for O. clarus desertorum. Differences in species' accelerations and jaw sizes resulted in maximum strike forces in the largest ants (O. chelifer) that were four times those generated by the smallest ants (O. ruginodis). To evaluate phylogenetic effects and make statistically valid comparisons, we developed a phylogeny of all sampled Odontomachus species and seven outgroup species (19 species total) using four genetic loci. Jaw acceleration and jaw-scaling factors showed significant phylogenetic non-independence, whereas jaw speed and force did not. Independent contrast (IC) values were used to calculate scaling relationships for jaw length, jaw mass and body mass, which did not deviate significantly from isometry. IC regression of angular acceleration and body size show an inverse relationship, but combined with the isometric increase in jaw length and mass results in greater maximum strike forces for the largest Odontomachus species. Relatively small differences (3%) between IC and species-mean based models suggest that any deviation from isometry in species' force production may be the result of recent selective evolution, rather than deep phylogenetic signal. Supplementary material available online at

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“…Ants are well-known for their ability to grasp, manipulate and transport objects with their mandibles or "jaws" during leaf cutting, nest excavation, brood care, prey capture, prey transport and prey rendering (Wilson 1962(Wilson , 1971Hölldobler and Wilson 1990;Cassill 2002;Paul and Gronenberg 2002;Cassill et al 2005). Because of their versatility, mandibles are one of the essential adaptations that have allowed ants to successfully colonize terrestrial habitats worldwide (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of their versatility, mandibles are one of the essential adaptations that have allowed ants to successfully colonize terrestrial habitats worldwide (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990). Indeed, two thirds of an ant's head capsule is dedicated to the muscles that are attached to the mandibles (Paul and Gronenberg 2002). The gripping force of the mandibles is modified by a combination of fast and slow muscle fibers that allow ants to severe tough plant or animal tissue and yet also gently grasp objects as delicate as eggs and larvae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opposable spines facilitate fine and gross object manipulation in fire ants

Cassill

Greco

Silwal

et al. 2006

Naturwissenschaften

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Ants inhabit diverse terrestrial biomes from the Sahara Desert to the Arctic tundra. One factor contributing to the ants' successful colonization of diverse geographical regions is their ability to manipulate objects when excavating nests, capturing, transporting and rendering prey or grooming, feeding and transporting helpless brood. This paper is the first to report the form and function of opposable spines on the foretarsi of queens and workers used during fine motor and gross motor object manipulation in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. In conjunction with their mandibles, queens and workers used their foretarsi to grasp and rotate eggs, push or pull thread-like objects out of their way or push excavated soil pellets behind them for disposal by other workers. Opposable spines were found on the foretarsi of workers from seven of eight other ant species suggesting that they might be a common feature in the Formicidae.

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Motor control of the mandible closer muscle in ants

Cited by 30 publications

References 38 publications

Musculoskeletal modeling of the dragonfly mandible system as an aid to understanding the role of single muscles in an evolutionary context

Musculoskeletal modeling of the dragonfly mandible system as an aid to understanding the role of single muscles in an evolutionary context

Phylogeny, scaling, and the generation of extreme forces in trap-jaw ants

Opposable spines facilitate fine and gross object manipulation in fire ants

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