How does a crab respond to slippery surfaces?
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1
West Virginia University, Department of Biology, United States
Natural environments are characterized by variability: surfaces are generally very irregular, and often contain very different textures. This poses a challenge for animals during terrestrial locomotion. For example, changes in substrate texture can cause limbs to slip because of a loss of friction. Many crustaceans utilize four pairs of walking legs that have non-compliant ground contacts with minimal surface area. This lack of substrate contact suggests that these animals may be particularly susceptible to changes in surface texture. We are using crabs as a model to explore how neuromechanical systems accommodate such problems. Crabs are allowed to run down a trackway which has a high friction rubber surface for most of its length, but has a slippery glass section halfway down its length. We use a motion analysis system (Vicon Motus) to analyze the changes in limb kinematics when animals encounter the slippery surface. Based on kinematic data, the disturbance caused by a slip depends on the velocity of the animal. In terms of the change in the trajectory of the center of mass, crabs, counterintuitively, have larger responses to slip perturbations at low speeds that at high ones. It appears that during rapid running, the animal’s momentum overcomes the loss of traction, reducing the magnitude of slip due to the effects of inertia. At lower speeds, neural responses appear to be required for stability. We are currently examining the nature of these responses.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (IOB-0544639) to JHB.
Keywords:
crustacean,
Locomotion
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for student poster award)
Topic:
Motor Systems
Citation:
Ross
R and
Belanger
J
(2012). How does a crab respond to slippery surfaces?.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00328
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Received:
30 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Ryan Ross, West Virginia University, Department of Biology, Morgantown, United States, rross4@mix.wvu.edu