... in nature. Using 13 individuals of Bradfield's Namib day gecko ( Rhoptropus bradfieldi ) in Namibia, I tested the hypothesis that maximum running performance in nature (speed and acceleration) is driven by maximum frictional adhesive strength. Specifically, those individuals with greater frictional adhesion...

... in European shags ( Gulosus aristotelis ) using time–depth–acceleration data loggers in 24 chick-rearing males. Foraging habitat (rocky or sandy) was identified from characteristic differences in dive patterns and body angle. Increase in body mass was estimated from changes in wing stroke frequency during...

... acceleration revealed that spontaneous activity, inferred as the variance of external acceleration (VAR m ), was low and invariant in hypoxia. Warming (21 to 31°C) caused progressive tachycardia with no differences in f H between holding conditions. Mean VAR m was, however, significantly higher in the tank...

... progression in acceleration, has proved valuable in the estimation of the metabolic cost of speed-changing gaits. However, its use with steep slopes requires extrapolation of the experimental cost versus gradient function for constant running speed, resulting in less-reliable estimates. The present study...

... of their plantigrade posture or due to adaptations to their Arctic marine existence. To evaluate whether polar bears are representative of terrestrial ursids or distinctly uneconomical walkers, this study measured the mass-specific metabolism, overall dynamic body acceleration, and gait kinematics of polar bears...

... copepods, Anomalocera patersoni and Pontella mediterranea , and one pelagic calanoid copepod, Calanus helgolandicus ( euxinus ). We show that jumping out of the water does not happen just by inertia gained during the copepod's acceleration underwater, but also requires the force generated by the thoracic...

... frequently when walking and any acceleration requires net positive ankle work. The present study unveiled how the muscle–tendon interaction of human ankle plantar flexors are adjusted and integrated with body mechanics to provide net positive work during accelerative walking. We found that for accelerative...

.... Biomechanics Locomotion Hydrodynamics Fineness ratio Acceleration Predator–prey interactions The ability of prey to detect and respond to stimuli produced by predators is a critical factor in determining the outcome of predator–prey interactions. In fishes, one of the most common responses...

... are increasingly employed for this purpose, their application in small-bodied animals has been limited by weight restrictions. Additionally, accelerometers engender novel complications, as a system is needed to reliably map acceleration to behaviors. In this study, we describe newly developed, tiny acceleration...

... maximum velocity of the muscle (i.e. zero force crossing) The goal of the present study was to test empirically the idea that a muscle–tendon system can develop power outputs exceeding maximum muscle power when accelerating a load, and to explore the limits of amplification. We measured...

... accelerations. We quantified behavioral responses of individual larvae to local instantaneous flows using two-phase, infrared particle-image velocimetry. Both high dissipation rates and high wave-generated accelerations induced most larvae to swim faster upward. High dissipation rates also induced some rapid...

... no competing financial interests. 29 1 2014 17 4 2014 © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd 2014 Acceleration Acoustics Whale A major challenge in studying acoustic behavior and its ecological context is determining the source of an acoustic signal and assigning...

... and acceleration α. In calm water most larvae had near-zero vertical velocities despite propelling themselves upward (swimming). In stronger turbulence all larvae used more propulsive force, but relative to the larval axis, larvae propelled themselves downward (diving) instead of upward more frequently and more...

..., an acceleration peak produced by the legs contributed to 85±1% of the whole-body resultant acceleration in finch and 77±6% in dove. At lift-off, coincident with the start of the first downstroke, the percentage of hindlimb contribution to initial flight velocity was 93.6±0.6% in finch and 95.2±0.4% in dove...

... © 2012. 2012 bird acceleration maneuver To fly effectively, a bird must successfully coordinate the muscles that move its wings. The musculature of bird wings is complex both in anatomy and in function ( Dial, 1992a ; Hudson et al., 1959 ). Because flight is a demanding form...

... patagonicus ) at the Crozet Archipelago, Indian Ocean. We used partial dynamic body acceleration (PDBA) to quantify body movement during dive and estimate diving cost. During the initial part of the descent, older birds exerted more effort for a given speed but younger penguins worked harder in relation...

...Eric J. McElroy; Kristen L. Archambeau; Lance D. McBrayer SUMMARY Burst locomotion is thought to be closely linked to an organism's ability to survive and reproduce. During the burst, animals start from a standstill and then rapidly accelerate to near-maximum running speeds. Many previous studies...

... Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan † Author for correspondence ( [email protected] ) 4 10 2011 © 2012. 2012 dive path acceleration Aptenodytes forsteri Breath-holding divers are always in a dilemma during...

... altered the body density and mass of three free-ranging elephant seals by remotely detaching weights and floats while monitoring their swimming speed, depth and three-axis acceleration with a high-resolution data logger. Cross-validation of three methods for estimating body density from hydrodynamic...

... ( Sceloporus woodi ), we compared how swing- and stance-phase muscles relate to maximum running speed and acceleration. We employed both a level and vertical trackway to elicit ecologically relevant locomotor performance. Six individuals were filmed at 250 frames s –1 in lateral view. Following performance...