| Hydraulic leg extension is not necessarily the main drive in large spiders. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 22279064 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Unlike most other arthropods, spiders have no extensor muscles in major leg joints. Therefore, hydraulic pressure generated in the prosoma provides leg extension. For decades, this mechanism was held responsible for the generation of the majority of the ground reaction forces, particularly in the hind legs. During propulsion, the front leg pairs must shorten whereas the hind legs have to be extended. Assuming that hind legs are essentially driven by hydraulics, their force vectors must pass the leg joints ventrally. However, at least in accelerated escape manoeuvres, we show here for the large cursorial spider species Ancylometes concolor that these force vectors, when projected into the leg plane, pass all leg joints dorsally. This indicates a reduced impact of the hydraulic mechanism on the generation of ground reaction forces. Although hydraulic leg extension still modulates their direction, the observed steep force vectors at the hind legs indicate a strong activity of flexors in the proximal joint complex that push the legs against the substrate. Consequently, the muscular mechanisms are dominant at least in the hind legs of large spiders. |
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Authors:
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Tom Weihmann; Michael Günther; Reinhard Blickhan |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Journal of experimental biology Volume: 215 ISSN: 1477-9145 ISO Abbreviation: J. Exp. Biol. Publication Date: 2012 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2012-01-26 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0243705 Medline TA: J Exp Biol Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 578-83 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Sport Science, Motion Science, Seidelstraße 20, 07749 Jena, Germany. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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