The influence of gravity on structure and function of animals

Ross, Muriel D.

doi:10.1016/0273-1177(84)90575-1

Cited by 28 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The allometric increase of the cross‐sectional areas of supportive bones is a well‐known characteristic of graviportal vertebrates (Ross, ). However, further adaptations at the microstructural scale may occur; for example, Doube et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Biomechanical evolution of solid bones in large animals: a microanatomical investigation

Houssaye

Waskow

Hayashi

et al. 2015

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Graviportal taxa show an allometric increase of the cross‐sectional area of supportive bones and are assumed to display microanatomical changes associated with an increase in bone mass. This evokes osteosclerosis (i.e. an increase in bone compactness observed in some aquatic amniotes). The present study investigates the changes in bones' microanatomical organization associated with graviportality and how comparable they are with aquatically acquired osteosclerosis aiming to better understand the adaptation of bone to the different associated functional requirements. Bones of graviportal taxa show microanatomical changes that are not solely attributable to allometry. They display a thicker cortex and a proportionally smaller medullary cavity, with a wider transition zone between these domains. This inner cancellous structure may enable to better enhance energy absorption and marrow support. Moreover, the cross‐sectional geometric parameters indicate increased resistance to stresses engendered by bending and torsion, as well as compression. Adaptation to a graviportal posture should be taken into consideration when analyzing possibly amphibious taxa with a terrestrial‐like morphology. This is particularly important for palaeoecological inferences about large extinct tetrapods that might have been amphibious and, more generally, for the study of early stages of adaptation to an aquatic life in amniotes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The allometric increase of the cross-sectional areas of supportive bones is a well-known characteristic of graviportal vertebrates (Ross, 1984). However, further *Corresponding author.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical evolution of solid bones in large animals: a microanatomical investigation

Houssaye

Waskow

Hayashi

et al. 2015

Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A number of various evolutionary solutions were developed for the problem of preserving the organism’s own mass in the gravitational field of Earth [1,2,3]. The changed gravity leads to changes in various cellular processes and structures, such as proliferation, signalling pathways, and cytoskeletal organization [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development Of Drosophila Melanogaster under Different Duration Space Flight and Subsequent Adaptation to Earth Gravity

Belyakin

Саранцева

2016

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In prospective human exploration of outer space, the need to preserve a species over several generations under changed gravity conditions may arise. This paper demonstrates our results in the creation of the third generation of fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (third-stage larvae) during the 44.5-day space flight (Foton-M4 satellite (2014, Russia)), then the fourth generation on Earth and the fifth generation again in conditions of the 12-day space flight (2014, in the Russian Segment of the ISS). The species preserves fertility despite a number of changes in the level of expression and content of cytoskeletal proteins, which are the key components of the cleavage spindle and the contractile ring of cells. The results of transcriptome screening and space analysis of cytoskeletal proteins show that the exposure to weightless conditions leads to the increased transcription of metabolic genes, cuticle components and the decreased transcription of genes involved in morphogenesis, cell differentiation, cytoskeletal organization and genes associated with the plasma membrane. “Subsequent” exposure to the microgravity for 12 days resulted in an even more significant increase/decrease in the transcription of the same genes. On the contrary, the transition from the microgravity conditions to the gravity of Earth leads to the increased transcription of genes whose products are involved in the morphogenesis, cytoskeletal organization, motility of cells and transcription regulation, and to the decreased transcription of cuticle genes and proteolytic processes.

show abstract

“…Because of this future, summing up gravitational action on cells does not explain gravity for biological system at upper layers [19]. This suggested that particular stages of animal's development, which extends from fertilization through implantation, organogenesis and post-natal maturation might be differentially sensitive to alterations in gravitation field [34,35,36].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling of Total Metabolic, Gravitational and Heat Energy of Living Organisms, Earth and Sun

Atanasov¹

2015

EJB

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The gravitational energy, total metabolic energy and heat energy of living organisms, Earth and Sun are scaled.Statistical analyses have shown that nearly a linear relationship between the total metabolic energy per lifespan of Poikilothermic organisms (P ls , kJ), total heat energy (THE E , kJ) of the Earth and the body mass (M, kg) of Poikilotherms and Earth (M E , kg) in log-log plots holds: P ls = 1.696×10 5 M 0.949 with R 2 = 0.996. A similar relationship between the total metabolic energy of Homoitherms Mammals and Aves (P ls , kJ), the total heat energy of Sun (emitted over Earth surface per Earth's lifespan) (THE S , kJ), and body mass (M, kg) of Mammals, Aves and Earth (M E , kg) holds: P ls = 10.2×10 5 M 1.023 with R 2 = 0.996. The metabolic potential of living organisms, gravitational and heat potential of Earth and Sun are scaled too. The gravitational and 'heat' potential of Earth are emerging as a lower limit of lifespan metabolic potentials of unicellular organisms, while the gravitational and 'heat' potential of Sun are emerging as an upper limit of lifespan metabolic potentials of multicellular organisms (Poikilotherms, Mammals and Aves). The relationships between mass-energy characteristics of living organisms, Earth and Sun show that gravitational and heat energy of Earth and Sun determine maximum and minimum total metabolic energy (per lifespan) of living organisms, while the gravitational and 'heat' potentials of Earth and Sun determine their maximum and minimum lifespan metabolic potentials.

show abstract

The influence of gravity on structure and function of animals

Cited by 28 publications

References 36 publications

Biomechanical evolution of solid bones in large animals: a microanatomical investigation

Biomechanical evolution of solid bones in large animals: a microanatomical investigation

The Development Of Drosophila Melanogaster under Different Duration Space Flight and Subsequent Adaptation to Earth Gravity

Scaling of Total Metabolic, Gravitational and Heat Energy of Living Organisms, Earth and Sun

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About