Morphology and performance of the “trap-jaw” cheliceral strikes in spiders (Araneae, Mecysmaucheniidae)

Wood, Hannah M.

doi:10.1242/jeb.219899

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Other movements hypothesized to be spring actuated have not been studied in the context of temperature, but may yet be revealed as thermally robust. For example, recoiling elastic structures power prey capture and processing in numerous aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates (Longo et al, 2018;Patek et al, 2004;Van Wassenbergh et al, 2008) as well as terrestrial animals (Gibson et al, 2018;Han et al, 2019;Kaji et al, 2018;Patek et al, 2006;Wood, 2020;Wood et al, 2016). Moreover, they enable jumping in several insect species (Burrows, 2003;Sutton and Burrows, 2018) and sound production in some insects (Bennet-Clark and Daws, 1999;Davranoglou et al, 2019).…”

Section: Elastic Recoilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes

Olberding

Deban

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Temperature influences many physiological processes that govern life as a result of the thermal sensitivity of chemical reactions. The repeated evolution of endothermy and widespread behavioral thermoregulation in animals highlight the importance of elevating tissue temperature to increase the rate of chemical processes. Yet, movement performance that is robust to changes in body temperature has been observed in numerous species. This thermally robust performance appears exceptional in light of the well-documented effects of temperature on muscle contractile properties, including shortening velocity, force, power and work. Here, we propose that the thermal robustness of movements in which mechanical processes replace or augment chemical processes is a general feature of any organismal system, spanning kingdoms. The use of recoiling elastic structures to power movement in place of direct muscle shortening is one of the most thoroughly studied mechanical processes; using these studies as a basis, we outline an analytical framework for detecting thermal robustness, relying on the comparison of temperature coefficients (Q10 values) between chemical and mechanical processes. We then highlight other biomechanical systems in which thermally robust performance that arises from mechanical processes may be identified using this framework. Studying diverse movements in the context of temperature will both reveal mechanisms underlying performance and allow the prediction of changes in performance in response to a changing thermal environment, thus deepening our understanding of the thermal ecology of many organisms.

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Section: Elastic Recoilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes

Olberding

Deban

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Organismal movements propelled by springs and released by latches are renowned for accelerations exceeding 10 6 m s −2 and power densities exceeding 10 5 W kg −1 (mechanical power output of the movement relative to the mass of the energy source) [3,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Organisms successfully operate these mechanisms in diverse environments with minimal self-destruction such that they are usable for the life of the organism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spring and latch dynamics can act as control pathways in ultrafast systems

Hyun¹,

Olberding²,

De³

et al. 2023

Bioinspir. Biomim.

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Ultrafast movements propelled by springs and released by latches are thought limited to energetic adjustments prior to movement and seemingly cannot adjust once movement begins. Even so, across the tree of life, ultrafast organisms navigate dynamic environments and generate a range of movements, suggesting unrecognized capabilities for control. We develop a framework of control pathways leveraging the non-linear dynamics of spring-propelled, latch-released systems. We analytically model spring dynamics and develop reduced-parameter models of latch dynamics to quantify how they can be tuned internally or through changing external environments. Using Lagrangian mechanics, we test feedforward and feedback control implementation via spring and latch dynamics. We establish through empirically-informed modeling that ultrafast movement can be controllably varied during latch release and spring propulsion. A deeper understanding of the interconnection between multiple control pathways, and the tunability of each control pathway, in ultrafast biomechanical systems presented here has the potential to expand the capabilities of synthetic ultra-fast systems and provides a new framework to understand the behaviors of fast organisms subject to perturbations and environmental non-idealities.

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“…4). In many cases, multiple springs act at multiple locations to develop rapid rotation, such as in the mouthparts of dragonfly larvae, snapping heads of feeding seahorses and snipefish, snapping mouthparts of spiders, recoiling pleural arches powering planthopper and flea jumps, and rapid strikes of both mantis shrimp and snapping shrimp (Büsse et al, 2021;Longo et al, 2018Longo et al, , 2023Rothschild and Schlein, 1975;Siwanowicz and Burrows, 2017;Steinhardt et al, 2021;Van Wassenbergh et al, 2008;Wood, 2020). The transformation of ) Latch velocity (krad s −1 ) Fig.…”

Section: Dynamics Of Spring-propelled Massesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LaMSA encompasses the realm of the fastest jumpers, strikers and shooters which are primarily propelled using elastic potential energy. They include irresistibly fascinating organismsfrom rapidly striking chameleon tongues (the subject of one of the first elastic mechanisms paper published in JEB's history) (Zood, 1933) to recent studies including trap-jaw spider mandibles (Wood, 2020), snapping seahorse heads (Avidan and Holzman, 2021), larval mantis shrimp strikes (Harrison et al, 2021), cavitation-shooting snapping shrimp (Longo et al, 2023) and trap-jaw ant strikes (Larabee et al, 2017;Sutton et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latch-mediated spring actuation (LaMSA): the power of integrated biomechanical systems

Patek

2023

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Across the tree of life – from fungi to frogs – organisms wield small amounts of energy to generate fast and potent movements. These movements are propelled with elastic structures, and their loading and release are mediated by latch-like opposing forces. They comprise a class of elastic mechanisms termed latch-mediated spring actuation (LaMSA). Energy flow through LaMSA begins when an energy source loads elastic element(s) in the form of elastic potential energy. Opposing forces, often termed latches, prevent movement during loading of elastic potential energy. As the opposing forces are shifted, reduced or removed, elastic potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy of the spring and propelled mass. Removal of the opposing forces can occur instantaneously or throughout the movement, resulting in dramatically different outcomes for consistency and control of the movement. Structures used for storing elastic potential energy are often distinct from mechanisms that propel the mass: elastic potential energy is often distributed across surfaces and then transformed into localized mechanisms for propulsion. Organisms have evolved cascading springs and opposing forces not only to serially reduce the duration of energy release, but often to localize the most energy-dense events outside of the body to sustain use without self-destruction. Principles of energy flow and control in LaMSA biomechanical systems are emerging at a rapid pace. New discoveries are catalyzing remarkable growth of the historic field of elastic mechanisms through experimental biomechanics, synthesis of novel materials and structures, and high-performance robotics systems.

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Morphology and performance of the “trap-jaw” cheliceral strikes in spiders (Araneae, Mecysmaucheniidae)

Cited by 11 publications

References 30 publications

Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes

Thermal robustness of biomechanical processes

Spring and latch dynamics can act as control pathways in ultrafast systems

Latch-mediated spring actuation (LaMSA): the power of integrated biomechanical systems

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