Four main proprioceptors monitor tibial position in the hindleg of the locust: the femoral chordotonal organ (FCO), the lump receptor, the suspensory ligament receptors and Brunner's organ. The influence of these proprioceptors on quantitative aspects of the kick motor programme has been investigated. The parameters measured were the duration of the initial flexion burst, the duration of co-activation of flexor and fast extensor tibiae (FETi) motoneurones, the number of FETi spikes during the co-activation, the interval between the kick and post-kick flexion, the number of FETi spikes occurring in this interval and the duration of post-kick flexion activity. The lump receptor and Brunner's organ have no detectable effect on any of these parameters. The FCO has highly significant effects on the duration of both initial flexion and post-kick flexion bursts, and on the number of FETi spikes occurring after the moment of tibial extension. The suspensory ligament receptors have significant effects upon the number of FETi spikes after the kick and the interval between the kick and the post-kick flexion. However, no proprioceptor had any influence upon the duration of co-activation or the number of FETi spikes during the co-activation. Thus, although elements of the kick motor programme preceding and following co-activation are strongly influenced by proprioceptors monitoring tibial position and movement, the co-activation stage, which is central to the effectiveness of the complete behaviour pattern, is not affected.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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