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The Quick And The Fast: The Evolution Of Acceleration Capacity In Anolis Lizards, Bieke Vanhooydonck, Anthony Herrel, Raoul Van Damme, Duncan J. Irschick
The Quick And The Fast: The Evolution Of Acceleration Capacity In Anolis Lizards, Bieke Vanhooydonck, Anthony Herrel, Raoul Van Damme, Duncan J. Irschick
Biology Department Faculty Publication Series
Although of prime ecological relevance, acceleration capacity is a poorly understood locomotor performance trait in terrestrial vertebrates. No empirical data exist on which design characteristics determine acceleration capacity among species and whether these design traits influence other aspects of locomotor performance. In this study we explore how acceleration capacity and sprint speed have evolved in Anolis lizards. We investigate whether the same or different morphological traits (i.e., limb dimensions and muscle mass) correlate with both locomotor traits. Within our sample of Anolis lizards, relative sprint speed and acceleration capacity coevolved. However, whereas the variation in relative acceleration capacity is primarily …
Multifunctionality And Mechanical Origins: Ballistic Jaw Propulsion In Trap-Jaw Ants, Sheila Patek, J. E. Baio, B. L. Fisher, A. V. Suarez
Multifunctionality And Mechanical Origins: Ballistic Jaw Propulsion In Trap-Jaw Ants, Sheila Patek, J. E. Baio, B. L. Fisher, A. V. Suarez
Sheila Patek
Extreme animal movements are usually associated with a single, high-performance behavior. However, the remarkably rapid mandible strikes of the trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus bauri, can yield multiple functional outcomes. Here we investigate the biomechanics of mandible strikes in O. bauri and find that the extreme mandible movements serve two distinct functions: predation and propulsion. During predatory strikes, O. bauri mandibles close at speeds ranging from 35 to 64 m·s−1 within an average duration of 0.13 ms, far surpassing the speeds of other documented ballistic predatory appendages in the animal kingdom. The high speeds of the mandibles assist in capturing prey, while …