Meeting Abstract
Animals face predictable challenges throughout their lifetimes. For instance, predation attempts are ubiquitous, and may drive the evolution of adaptations to avoid predators. Some animals have evolved adaptations where they voluntarily release appendages (autotomy) during predation attempts. While autotomy usually increases survival, animals can face long term consequences. Given this, strategies to compensate for damage may have evolved. While this is the case, investigating compensation strategies have not received much attention. We studied compensation strategies in daddy long-legs (order Opiliones) because autotomy is frequent in this group and regeneration does not occur. Specifically, we examined Prionostemma sp1 (Sclerosomatidae) in the Costa Rican rainforest to test the hypothesis that compensation occurs through time due to changes in either biomechanical (kinematic) properties and/or the suites of behaviors employed while escaping. By controlling the time since autotomy and the number of legs in animals, we were able to record changes in locomotor performance on a horizontal track through time, using high speed video. Preliminary analyzes show an immediate decrease in locomotion performance after autotomy, followed by gradual changes in kinematics (trajectory, axes of rotation, and stride length) and behaviors employed. Eventually, individuals in certain treatments seemed to approach pre-autotomy levels on locomotion performance. Overall, this project addressed mechanisms of adaptive plasticity and mechanical robustness used by animals to cope with damage. Additionally, these findings have implications for biomechanics and robotics.
