How Animals Move: An Integrative View

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 288; no. 5463; pp. 100 - 106
• Main Authors: Dickinson, Michael H., Farley, Claire T., Full, Robert J., Koehl, M. A. R., Kram, Rodger, Lehman, Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 07.04.2000; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animal locomotion; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biological control systems; Biology; Biomechanical Phenomena; Body Composition; Comparative Analysis; Crabs; Energy; Energy Metabolism; Environment; Exercise Physiology; Feedback; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Insect flight; Kinetics; Legs; Locomotion; Locomotion - physiology; Mechanics (Physics); Motors; Movement; Muscle Contraction; Muscles; Muscles - physiology; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Physiological regulation; Physiology; Reviews; Sensory feedback; Swimming; Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports; Human; Force; Insecta; Review; Striated muscle; Biomechanics; Osteoarticular system; Locomotion; Vertebrata; Arthropoda; Animal; Pisces; Motion study; Propulsion; Invertebrata; Bipedal walking
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5463.100

Recent advances in integrative studies of locomotion have revealed several general principles. Energy storage and exchange mechanisms discovered in walking and running bipeds apply to multilegged locomotion and even to flying and swimming. Nonpropulsive lateral forces can be sizable, but they may benefit stability, maneuverability, or other criteria that become apparent in natural environments. Locomotor control systems combine rapid mechanical preflexes with multimodal sensory feedback and feedforward commands. Muscles have a surprising variety of functions in locomotion, serving as motors, brakes, springs, and struts. Integrative approaches reveal not only how each component within a locomotor system operates but how they function as a collective whole.