PEATTIE, A M; GARCIA, M S; KUO, A D; WANG, PC; FULL, R J: DAMPING ESTIMATES IN INSECT LEGS INDICATE A ROLE IN CONTROL Experiments and theoretical models suggest that the remarkable stability observed in the death-head cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) can reside in the preflexive dynamics of the musculo-skeletal system. To determine one parameter often […]

TU, M.S.*; DANIEL, T.L.: Cardiac-like behavior in an insect flight muscle. Despite the well-known length-dependence of muscle force, few studies have actually located the operating lengths of locomotor muscles on their isometric force-length relationships. A handful of studies in frogs, fish, birds and rabbits, suggest that force may be maximized by muscle shortening across the […]

GOLDMAN, E.B.*; DANIEL, T.L.: Tuning for swimming performance in hydrozoan jellyfish depends on non-linear springs and temporal patterns of force production Radial symmetry and primitive neuromuscular organization make jellyfish ideally-suited for exploring the dynamic consequences of the interplay between muscle forcing, material properties, geometry, and fluid motion. Jellyfish, composed predominantly of mesoglea, have a characteristic […]

PATEK, Sheila: Squeaking with a sliding joint: the origin of sound production in spiny lobsters The origin of arthropod sound producing morphology typically involves modification of two translating body surfaces, such as the legs and thorax. In an unusual structural rearrangement, one lineage of palinurid lobsters lost an antennal joint articulation, which transformed this joint […]

MARTINEZ, G.M.: Early Emergence of contractile competence in mantle and funnel muscles in embryonic squid. F-actin filaments appear early in the development of the squid embryo. They emerge in a random and diffuse pattern during the appearance of organ primordia and become more widely distributed and organized as development continues. My data suggest that F-actin […]

SATTERLIE, R.A.: Comparative Neuroanatomy of Jellyfish Swim Systems: Romanes is Still the Man In the late 1800’s Romanes distinguished between the “covered-eyed medusae” and the “naked-eyed medusae”. These groups represent the scyphomedusae and hydromedusae respectively. While the mechanics of swimming in both groups of jellyfish show many similarities, the underlying neuronal mechanisms for activating the […]

MCHENRY, Matthew/J.: A TALE OF TWO TAILS: SWIMMING DYNAMICS IN LARVAE OF A COLONIAL (DISTAPLIA OCCIDENTALIS) AND A SOLITARY ASCIDIAN (CIONA INTESTINALIS) The body shape of ascidian larvae is correlated with the performance of their swimming. The larvae of colonial species have enlarged trunks, shortened tails and a large body length compared to solitary species. […]

HENRY, J.D.*; O’CARROLL, D.C.: What visual information do hawking dragonfly predators use to intercept prey? Dragonflies are voracious predators that locate and intercept prey with astonishing accuracy. Many dragonflies (e.g. Corduliidae and Aeshnidae) are hawking predators, hunting while patrolling a territory. Dragonfly hunting is a visually guided behavior, utilizing large, highly acute eyes. Hawking dragonflies […]

THEOBALD, J.C.; WARRANT, E.J.; O’CARROLL, D.: Sphingid moths have evolved visual neural filtering adapted to the light levels of their active states The sphingid moths comprise diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal species which fly with remarkable agility: quickly between flowers and hovering while feeding. Despite the drastic differences in luminance during these similar behaviors, sphingids share […]

FRYE, M.A.*; DICKINSON, M.H.: Fusion of visual and olfactory signals for flight control in flies Fruit flies exhibit remarkable capacity for locating desirable odor sources within variable and complex visual environments. Using a combination of real-time 3-D video tracking during free flight, and a visual ‘virtual reality’ flight simulator modified to deliver odor during tethered […]