Allometry and Jumping in Frogs: Helping the Twain to Meet

Emerson, Sharon B.

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1978.tb04598.x

Cited by 175 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…We found a high hindlimb to snout-vent length ratio in rocket frogs (2.02) compared with a range of 1.07-1.94 from previous measurements made on 48 different frog species (Rand 1952;Rand and Rand 1966;Emerson 1978;Zug and Altig 1978;Choi et al 2003;James et al 2005). Relatively long hindlimbs should enable frogs to accelerate their center of mass over a relatively longer distance during takeoff to enhance takeoff velocity and jump distance.…”

Section: Morphologymentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Both relative hindlimb length (hind-W limb length : body length) and relative hindlimb muscle mass (muscle mass : body mass) have been found to vary among species and to affect jump performance. Frog (Emerson 1978) and mammal species (Emerson 1985) that are jump specialists have relatively longer legs. Also, frog (Rand 1952;Zug 1972;Choi and Park 1996;Choi et al 2003) and lizard species (Losos 1990;Toro et al 2003) with relatively longer hindlimbs have generally been found to achieve greater jump distance and/or takeoff velocity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, frog (Rand 1952;Zug 1972;Choi and Park 1996;Choi et al 2003) and lizard species (Losos 1990;Toro et al 2003) with relatively longer hindlimbs have generally been found to achieve greater jump distance and/or takeoff velocity. Hindlimb muscle mass in frogs (Emerson 1978) and mammals (Alexander et al 1981) varies as a proportion of body mass, with jumping species having proportionally larger extensor muscles than nonjumping species. In addition, anurans with relatively greater thigh muscle mass have been found to achieve relatively higher jump takeoff velocity (expressed relative to body mass; Choi et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Equation (2) suggests that any species capable of extreme jumping performance probably exhibits a number of morphological and/or physiological adaptations (Emerson 1985;James et al 2007), such as increasing relative hindlimb length (to increase L and/or L : M b ratio), increasing the proportion of body mass devoted to skeletal muscle mass used to power jumping (to increase and/or : M b ratio), altering muscle me-Ẇ W chanics to increase muscle power output (to increase ), anḋ W increasing elastic strain energy used to enhance muscle power output (to increase ). Both relative hindlimb length (hind-W limb length : body length) and relative hindlimb muscle mass (muscle mass : body mass) have been found to vary among species and to affect jump performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Explosive Jumping: Extreme Morphological and Physiological Specializations of Australian Rocket Frogs (Litoria nasuta)

James

Wilson

2008

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The University of Chicago Press ABSTRACTAnuran jumping is an ideal system for examining the relationships between key morphological, physiological, and kinematic parameters. We used the Australian rocket frog (Litoria nasuta) as a model species to investigate extreme specialization of the vertebrate locomotor system for jumping. We measured the ground reaction forces applied during maximal jumps using a custom-designed force platform, which allowed us to calculate instantaneous measures of acceleration, velocity, power output, and total jump distance. We quantified the mechanical properties of the plantaris longus muscle using the work loop technique. We found that L. nasuta achieved the second-longest relative jumping distance for any anuran (55.2 body lengths for one individual) and the highest published anuran values for isolated net mean muscle power output measured using work loops (93.5 W kg Ϫ1 muscle mass), hindlimb length to snout-vent length ratio (2.02), and relative hindlimb muscle mass (33% of body mass). Litoria nasuta also had a higher ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length than 19 related species. We found that the mean power output expended during the takeoff phase of jumping in the individual that jumped the farthest was about three times greater than our estimate of available muscle power output.

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Section: Morphologymentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Explosive Jumping: Extreme Morphological and Physiological Specializations of Australian Rocket Frogs (Litoria nasuta)

James

Wilson

2008

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…Features such as long hindlimbs, a stout vertebral column and a relatively small body size are considered specializations associated with enhanced jumping performance (Zug 1972;Emerson 1978;Shubin & Jenkins 1995). Although these morphological features are undoubtedly important, the frog jump is ultimately reliant on the mechanical force and power supplied by the hindlimb musculature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muscle performance during frog jumping: influence of elasticity on muscle operating lengths

2010

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A fundamental feature of vertebrate muscle is that maximal force can be generated only over a limited range of lengths. It has been proposed that locomotor muscles operate over this range of lengths in order to maximize force production during movement. However, locomotor behaviours like jumping may require muscles to shorten substantially in order to generate the mechanical work necessary to propel the body. Thus, the muscles that power jumping may need to shorten to lengths where force production is submaximal. Here we use direct measurements of muscle length in vivo and muscle force-length relationships in vitro to determine the operating lengths of the plantaris muscle in bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) during jumping. We find that the plantaris muscle operates primarily on the descending limb of the force-length curve, resting at long initial lengths (1.3 + 0.06 L o ) before shortening to muscle's optimal length (1.03 + 0.05 L o ). We also compare passive force-length curves from frogs with literature values for mammalian muscle, and demonstrate that frog muscles must be stretched to much longer lengths before generating passive force. The relatively compliant passive properties of frog muscles may be a critical feature of the system, because it allows muscles to operate at long lengths and improves muscles' capacity for force production during a jump.

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Mechanical Properties of the Hindlimb Bones of Bullfrogs and Cane Toads in Bending and Torsion

Wilson¹,

Espinoza²,

Shah³

et al. 2009

The Anatomical Record

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When compared with most vertebrates, frogs use a novel style of jumping locomotion powered by the hindlimbs. Hindlimb bones of frogs must withstand the potentially erratic loads associated with such saltatory locomotion. To evaluate the load bearing capacity of anuran limb bones, we used three-point bending, torsion, and hardness tests to measure the mechanical properties of the femur and tibiofibula from adults of two species that use different jumping styles: explosively jumping bullfrogs (Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana) and cyclically hopping cane toads (Bufo (Chaunus) marinus). Yield stress and strain values for R. catesbeiana and B. marinus hindlimb bones are within the range of values previously reported for other vertebrates. However, anuran hindlimb bones generally stand out as having higher yield stresses in bending than those of closely related, nonsaltatory salamanders, highlighting the importance of considering phylogenetic context in comparisons of bone functional capacity and adaptation. Stiffness values for both frog species tested were also high, which may facilitate efficient transmission of muscular forces while jumping. Elevated stiffness may also contribute to some discrepancies between determinations of bone properties via hardness versus bending tests. In comparisons between species, B. marinus bones showed significantly higher bending yield stresses than R. catesbeiana, whereas R. catesbeiana bones showed significantly higher torsional yield stresses than B. marinus. These differences may correlate with differences in jumping style and limb anatomy between ranid and bufonid frogs, suggesting that evolutionary changes in bone mechanical properties may help to accommodate new functional demands that emerge in lineages. Anat Rec, 292:935-944, 2009. V V C 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Allometry and Jumping in Frogs: Helping the Twain to Meet

Cited by 175 publications

References 12 publications

Explosive Jumping: Extreme Morphological and Physiological Specializations of Australian Rocket Frogs (Litoria nasuta)

Explosive Jumping: Extreme Morphological and Physiological Specializations of Australian Rocket Frogs (Litoria nasuta)

Muscle performance during frog jumping: influence of elasticity on muscle operating lengths

Mechanical Properties of the Hindlimb Bones of Bullfrogs and Cane Toads in Bending and Torsion

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