Functional Evolution of Locomoter Posture in Vertebrates

在脊椎动物的运动中，有一个普遍的范式，即四足动物的肢体姿势已经从四肢伸展的姿势（四肢保持在身体的侧面）进化到直立的姿势（四肢保持在身体的正下方）。因此，一个三等级系统（伸展、半直立和直立）被广泛用于对四足动物的运动解剖学及其推测的功能机制进行分类。然而，为了定义和理解这种生物力学转变，我们需要关于各种动物使用不同姿势等级的足部产生的地面反作用力的数据，以便能够理解运动过程中推进力的动力学是如何随肢体位置变化的。该项目的目标是开发一个四步力板系统，以记录小型脊椎动物的地面反作用力。该系统将针对代表所有类别的一系列脊椎动物的大小和步态特征进行设计。将建造和校准力板，然后对代表性物种进行初步研究，以展示该系统的效用，并为更大规模的综合研究做准备，这些研究将同时记录从蔓延到直立过渡的物种的地面反作用力、运动学和电图模式。

Reilly 9727212 In vertebrate locomotion there is a general paradigm that limb postures in tetrapods have evolved from a sprawling posture, with the limbs held laterally to the body, to an erect posture, with the limbs held directly under the body. Accordingly, a three grade system (sprawling, semi-erect , and erect postures) has been widely used to categorize locomotor anatomies and their presumed functional mechanisms in tetrapods. However, to define and understand this biomechanical transition, we need data on the ground reaction forces generated by the footfalls of a variety of animals using different postural grades to be able to understand how the dynamics of propulsive forces change with limb position during locomotion. The goal of this project is to develop a four-step force plate system to record ground reaction forces from small vertebrate animals. The system will be designed for the size and gait characteristics of a series of vertebrates representing all of the classes. Force plates will be constructed and calibrated and then preliminary studies of representative species will be undertaken to demonstrate the utility of the system and to prepare for larger scaled integrative studies that will simultaneously record ground reaction force , kinematic and electomyographical patterns in species spanning the sprawling to erect transition.