Energy expenditure in the locomotion of vertebrates Introduction Vertebrates are found on land, in the sea and in the air. They all use energy in their locomotion; however the exact amount of energy however varies from animal to animal. Some vertebrates are considered to be more efficient in their energy use while others use lots of energy in a short time, making them rather inefficient. The exact amount of energy expenditure varies and is largely dependent on the type of locomotion used by the creature, and also on its environment. For instance, a fish would have much more resistance while swimming in water than a dog might have while walking on land. It is also dependent on the size and morphology of the creature, meaning that an elephant may use much more energy in one stride than most other vertebrates, but it is relative to its size (Withers, 1992). It is also largely dependent upon the speed at which the animal is travelling (Withers, 1992). All of the energy used in these situations is produced by the metabolism of foods. The purpose of this essay is to show that locomotion is energetically expensive and that there is great …show more content…
This study also showed that the bipedal and quadrupedal mammals require much less energy in locomotion with a load on their backs, rather than anywhere else, meaning that they are better adapted to load-carrying using their backs. (Tickle, et al., 2010) Abourachid (2001), shows that larger birds generally use a different form of locomotion to smaller birds. While larger birds increase the frequency of their movements to increase speed, the smaller birds rather increase the amplitude to increase speed, but their frequency is higher in general movement (Abourachid, 2001). Because the aforementioned examples are mainly influenced by morphological factors, they would be considered as a biological factor that affects locomotion. Metabolism and locomotion in
The four-pointed forkbird has the best suited evolutionary fitness. By the end of the activity, there were only two two-pointed forkbirds, one one-pointed forkbirds, and seventeen four-pointed forkbirds. This shows that four-pointed forkbirds have a better chance of surviving and passing on their traits.
"I can 't define what it is but I know it when I see it," (Loco Parentis"). In today 's society, parental neglect and abuse is covered on the news every single day across the globe. Recently a plethora of new cases are being defined as "Loco Parentis". Loco Parentis is a phrase in Latin meaning for in place of a parent and in court usually refers to a specific person or organization to take on some of the responsibility for the crime that has taken place. This is the conflict brought up in the case of John Telford and the murder of Chris Skinner , and the role of John 's father in this whole epidemic. While charging someone with "Loco Parentis" is not an easy task to accomplish in any case, Robert Telford 's actions of neglect and emotional
Paul, Gregory S. (2002). "Looking for the True Bird Ancestor". Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–224. ISBN 0-8018-6763-0.
Most of the bones are pneumatic, meaning they are hollow and filled with air spaces connected to the respiratory system. Thus the hollow bones reduces the weight of birds which makes the lighter to fly freely.
After millions of years that humans separated from their relative primate how is that humans became bipedal. So many changes have happened to the human body to decide to stay on the ground and abandoned their lives in the trees. Primates evolved different body structures according to their lifestyle and the ecosystem in which they lived. As Charles Darwin natural selection stays; it could be as a result of new environments, the need for food and shelter, which forced humans to adapt and survive. Although, most of primates’ anatomy reflects habits of movement, it could be easy to see the external differences but there are many differences that have been intensely studied and researched.
Works Cited "Animal Planet" Animal Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 09 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
A Bottle-nosed dolphin skeletal system is believed to be originated from the basic mammalian skeleton, but has gone through a number of changes. Firstly the forelimbs have been modified into flippers and the bones of the hind limbs have disappeared altogether. Such bones as the rib cage and the spin have also undergone transformation in the fact that they have cured and caved-in due to water pressure. These creatures hold their breath for about 15 minutes before having to submerge for air. The Bottle-nosed dolphin is an amazingly strong creature. Because it never stops swimming, the Bottle-nosed dolphin has a very powerful tail, which is capable of supporting its weight of about 400 kg.
Bipedalism is a form of locomotion that is on two feet and is the one factor that separates humans from other forms of hominoids. The first bipeds are believed to have lived in Africa between 5 and 8 million years ago. (Haviland et al. 2011, pg. 78). The evolution to bipedalism resulted in various anatomical changes. To be able to balance on two legs, the skull must be centered over the spinal column. As bipeds evolved, the foramen magnum, the opening at the base of skull for the spinal column, moved from the back of the skull to the center. The spinal column also evolved from a continuous curve to a spine with four concave and convex curves. (Haviland et al. 2011, pgs. 79, 80). Another change was the widening of the pelvis which gives a wider plateau for more balance when walking on two legs.
Hummingbirds have evolved certain behavioural and physical traits which allows for them to be more energetically efficient, such as specialized storage and digestion adaptations, feeding and flying adaptations and breathing adaptation. Hummingbirds are extremely small and their muscles for flight are highly oxygen-dependent and require large amounts of energy. Hummingbirds are one of the smallest endotherms and any energetic output can be metabolically stressful. The hummingbirds’ small body size means that they have very little room for energy storage and therefore often endure energetic and metabolic stresses. They are the one of the oldest aves, dating back to some 33 million years ago and have evolved certain energy efficient adaptations that have allowed for them to live so long. These adaptations allow Hummingbirds to efficiently meet their energetic needs which in turn, allows for them to not only survive but also continue to evolve and expand their specific niches.
In an article titled “Energy Digestibility of Giant Pandas on Bamboo-Only and on Supplemented Diets”, the goal of this study was to figure out the energy digestibility of bamboo by giant pandas using digestibility trials and through analysis using bomb calorimetry. An energy budget is a numerical statement that measures the amount of energy collected and the placement of the energy to various functions. Energy budgets can be described using the equation: E=M+P+U+F (where E is the total amount of energy consumed, M is the energy used for maintenance and activity, P is the energy used for production (which includes growth and reproduction), U is the energy lost in urine, and F is the energy lost in feces.). The total energy consumed minus the energy lost in feces is the digestible energy and shows the ability of the digestive system to process consumed food.
One of the most important and pivotal physical and biological adaptations that separate humans from other mammals is habitual bipedalism. According to Darwin, as restated by Daniel Lieberman, “It was bipedalism rather than big brains, language, or tool use that first set th...
Strait, David S. "The Feeding Biomechanics and Dietary Ecology of Australopithecus Africanus." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 12 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. .
Sense perception is understanding gained through the use of one of the senses such as sight, taste, touch or hearing. It is one of the ways of knowing through which we perceive information. It is extremely interesting to explore how and why animal senses are different from human senses. Some animals have developed amazing adaptations to their environments. The animal kingdom has plenty of creatures whose senses go beyond what we can conceive.
*The speed of migration is different for different species, depending on when they migrate. *A new study has found interesting differences in the migration speeds of early and late migrants between Europe and Africa. *In general, flight velocity of birds ranges from 20 to 50 miles per hour. *For sustained flight, larger birds typically fly faster than smaller birds. * A common flying speed of ducks and geese is between 40 and 50 miles per hour, but among the smaller birds it is much less. *Herons, hawks, Horned Larks, ravens, and shrikes, timed with an automobile speedometer have been found to fly 22 to 28 miles per hour, whereas some of the flycatchers fly at only 10 to 17 miles per hour. *Even such fast-flying birds as the Mourning Dove