BIOL 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Skeletal Muscle, Horse Gait, Skeleton
Document Summary
Movement is a way for animals to respond to stimuli from the environment. Two types of movement: movement of entire animal relative to its environment, movement of one part of the animal relative to the entire body. Muscle and skeletal systems work together to produce movement. Locomotion : movement of an animal on it"s own power. Enables animal to seek food, water, mates, and shelter, and avoid predators. Efficient locomotion is provided by the combination of muscle contractions and skeletal systems. Some animals migrate thousands of miles each year, and others perform astonishing feats of acrobatics. Locomotion has been shaped by natural selection and complex ecological relationships. The passive material properties of skeletal elements are essential to understanding the transmission of forces. In terms of movement and energy exchange on the center of mass. Walking is mechanically similar to the swinging of an upside-down pendulum. Whereas running is mechanically similar to a bouncing ball.
