The biomechanics of bloated bloodsuckers Dave Ellerby, Wellesley College Understanding Animal Movement Energy, Performance and Fitness Muscle and movement muscles move skeletal elements to transfer power Rowlerson & Blackshaw (1991), J. Exp. Biol 157: 299. Muscle and movement: hydrostatic skeletons Muscle and movement segmental shape changes drive movement Friesen & Kristan (2007), Curr. Op. Neur 17: 704. Neural and neurochemical control Behavior also influenced by neurotransmitters/ hormones Harvard University Chembot iRobot Soft robots GoQBot Tufts University Starfish - Harvard Crawling extreme changes in body shape Swimming totally different movement, same motor still the same motor, plus massive change in size Dimensional changes during movement Gerry SP and Ellerby DJ (2011). Biology Letters 7, Structural simplicity functional flexibility Swimming Crawling Feeding How is this achieved? Evolutionary implications? Dont swim after eating not a hydrodynamically favorable shape! crawl instead? Recovering mobility after feeding Slow swimming recovery, crawling barely impaired. Muscle and expansion Serotonin added No serotonin Vertebrate muscle Muscle and expansion Vertebrate cross-striated muscle Obliquely striated muscle Hormonal modulation of muscle contraction Serotonin added No serotonin integration of behavioral and mechanical effects Evolution of blood feeding Apakupakul et al. (1999). Mol. Phylo. Evol. 12, Blood feeding is the ancestral state The biomechanics of bloated bloodsuckers Structural simplicity but functional flexibility Supported by muscle mechanical properties Neurochemicals integrate behavior and biomechanics Acknowledgements Shannon Gerry Amanda Hitchcock Johanna Ascher Karin Darakananda Kara Feilich Malika Hayashi Cataia Ives Janet Jeong Grace Jung Arbor Quist Jessica Liao Allison Robbins Michelle Vogelzang Jasmine Wang