Diversity of Terrestrial Locomotor Design: Mechanics and Energetics

这项拟议研究的总体目标是确定非稳态、间歇性活动中的表现极限，以揭示生物体设计的一般原则。我们的目标将通过利用动物为腿部陆地运动而建造的方式的巨大差异来实现。能量、氧气运输和肌肉骨骼系统在稳态、恒速运动中已经得到了很好的研究，但这些系统也必须在非稳态、瞬变条件下发挥作用。我们建议测试在稳定状态下建立的运动极限是否间歇性地进行。我们将确定节肢动物在间歇运动中的耐力在多大程度上取决于运动周期持续时间、停顿周期持续时间、运动与停顿持续时间的比例以及运动期间的速度。我们还将测试，在同时考虑有氧源和厌氧源的情况下，间歇运动的成本，无论是每时间还是每距离，是否比以相同平均速度连续运动更昂贵。最后，我们将确定间歇性运动表现的生理相关性。我们将测量在锻炼期间积累但在停顿期间被移除、减少或清除的疲劳导致因素与在停顿期间积累的疲劳导致因素的相关性，并对其进行建模。提出的间歇运动研究试图推进先前基于稳态运动的范式，并为发展一般的活动理论迈出了合乎逻辑的下一步。

The general objective of the proposed research is to determine the limits of performance during non-steady state, intermittent activity in order to reveal general principles of organismal design. Our objective will be accomplished by exploiting the enormous variation in the way animals are built for legged terrestrial locomotion. Energy, oxygen transport and musculo- skeletal systems have been well studied during steady-state, constant speed locomotion, but these systems must also function under non-steady state, transient conditions. We propose to test whether or not performance limits established under steady-state exercise is conducted intermittently. We will determine the extent to which endurance during intermittent locomotion in arthropods is dependent on exercise period duration, pause period duration, the ratio of exercise to pause duration, and the speed during the exercise period. We will also test whether or not the cost of intermittent locomotion, both per time and per distance, is more expensive than continuous locomotion at the same average speed when both aerobic and anaerobic sources are considered. Finally, we will determine the physiological correlates of intermittent exercise performance. We will both measure and model correlates of fatigue causing agents that accumulate during exercise periods, but are removed, reduced or cleared during the pause periods and fatigue causing agents that accumulate during the pause periods. The proposed research on intermittent locomotion attempts to advance the previous paradigm based on steady-state locomotion and takes the next step logical to the development of a general theory of activity.