Universität zu Köln

Grabowska, Martyna ORCID: 0000-0002-1727-7714, Godlewska, Elzbieta, Schmidt, Joachim and Daun-Gruhn, Silvia (2012). Quadrupedal gaits in hexapod animals - inter-leg coordination in free-walking adult stick insects. J. Exp. Biol., 215 (24). S. 4255 - 4267. CAMBRIDGE: COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD. ISSN 1477-9145

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Abstract

The analysis of inter-leg coordination in insect walking is generally a study of six-legged locomotion. For decades, the stick insect Carausius morosus has been instrumental for unravelling the rules and mechanisms that control leg coordination in hexapeds. We analysed inter-leg coordination in C. morosus that freely walked on straight paths on plane surfaces with different slopes. Consecutive 1.7 s sections were assigned inter-leg coordination patterns (which we call gaits) based on footfall patterns. Regular gaits, i.e. wave, tetrapod or tripod gaits, occurred in different proportions depending on surface slopes. Tetrapod gaits were observed most frequently, wave gaits only occurred on 90. deg inclining slopes and tripod gaits occurred most often on 15. deg declining slopes, i.e. in 40% of the sections. Depending on the slope, 36-66% of the sections were assigned irregular gaits. Irregular gaits were mostly due to multiple stepping by the front legs, which is perhaps probing behaviour, not phase coupled to the middle legs' cycles. In irregular gaits, middle leg and hindleg coordination was regular, related to quadrupedal walk and wave gaits. Apparently, front legs uncouple from and couple to the walking system without compromising middle leg and hindleg coordination. In front leg amputees, the remaining legs were strictly coordinated. In hindleg and middle leg amputees, the front legs continued multiple stepping. The coordination of middle leg amputees was maladapted, with front legs and hindlegs performing multiple steps or ipsilateral legs being in simultaneous swing. Thus, afferent information from middle legs might be necessary for a regular hindleg stepping pattern.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Grabowska, Martyna UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1727-7714 UNSPECIFIED Godlewska, Elzbieta UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Schmidt, Joachim UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Daun-Gruhn, Silvia UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-477726
DOI:	10.1242/jeb.073643
Journal or Publication Title:	J. Exp. Biol.
Volume:	215
Number:	24
Page Range:	S. 4255 - 4267
Date:	2012
Publisher:	COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
Place of Publication:	CAMBRIDGE
ISSN:	1477-9145
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language CARAUSIUS-MOROSUS; INTERSEGMENTAL INTERNEURONS; LOCAL INTERNEURONS; LIMB AMPUTATION; SENSORY SIGNALS; MOVEMENTS; COCKROACH; LOCOMOTION; PATTERNS; SEGMENTS Multiple languages Biology Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/47772