Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tight turns in stick insects

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We investigated insects Carausius morosus walking whilst hanging upside down along a narrow 3 mm horizontal beam. At the end of the beam, the animal takes a 180° turn. This is a difficult situation because substrate area is small and moves relative to the body during the turn. We investigated how leg movements are organised during this turn. A non-contact of either front leg appears to indicate the end of the beam. However, a turn can only begin if the hind legs stand in an appropriate position relative to each other; the outer hind leg must not be placed posterior to the inner hind leg. When starting the turn, both front legs are lifted and usually held in a relatively stable position and then the inner middle leg performs a swing-and-search movement: The leg begins a swing, which is continued by a searching movement to the side and to the rear, and eventually grasps the beam. At the same time the body is turned usually being supported by the outer middle leg and both hind legs. Then front legs followed by the outer middle leg reach the beam. A scheme describing the turns based on a few simple behavioural elements is proposed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altendorfer R, Moore N, Komosuoglu H, Buehler M, Brown H, McMordie D, Saranli U, Full R, Koditschek D (2001) RHex: a biologically inspired hexapod runner. Autonomous Robots 11:207–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bässler U (1977) Sensory control of leg movement in the stick insect Carausius morosus. Biol Cybern 25:61–72

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bässler U, Rohrbacher J, Karg G, Breutel G (1991) Interruption of searching movements of partly restrained front legs of stick insects, a model situation for the start of a stance phase? Biol Cybern 65:507–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bläsing B (2004) Adaptive locomotion in a complex environment: simulation of stick insect gap crossing behavior. In: Schaal S, Ijspeert A, Billard A, Vijayakumar S, Hallam J, Meyer JA (eds) From animals to animats 8. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 173–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Bläsing B (2006) Crossing large gaps: a simulation study of stick insect behaviour. Adaptive Behav 14(3):265–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bläsing B, Cruse H (2004a) Mechanisms of stick insect locomotion in a gap crossing paradigm. J Comp Physiol A 190:173–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bläsing B, Cruse H (2004b) Stick insect locomotion in a complex environment: climbing over large gaps. J Exp Biol 207:1273–1286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camhi JM, Levy A (1988) Organization of a complex movement: fixed and variable components of the cockroach escape behavior. J Comp Physiol A 163:317–328

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cruse H (1976a) The control of the body position in the stick insect (Carausius morosus), when walking over uneven surfaces. Biol Cybern 24:25–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cruse H (1976b) On the function of the legs in the free walking stick insect Carausius morosus. J Comp Physiol 112:235–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cruse H (1985) Which parameters control the leg movement of a walking insect? II. The start of the swing phase. J Exp Biol 116:357–362

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruse H, Bartling C (1995) Movement of joint angles in the legs of a walking insect, Carausius morosus. J Insect Physiol 41(9):761–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean J (1991) Effect of load on leg movement and step coordination of the stick insect Carausius morosus. J Exp Biol 159:449–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Delcomyn F (1981) Insect locomotion on land. In: Herreid CF, Fourtner CR (eds) Locomotion and Energetics in Arthropods. Plenum, New York, pp 103–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Delcomyn F (2004) Insect walking and robotics. Ann Rev Entomol 49:51–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Diederich B, Schumm M, Cruse H (2002) Stick insects walking along inclined surfaces. Integr Comp Biol 42(1):165–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duch C, Pflüger HJ (1995) Motor patterns for horizontal and upside-down walking and vertical climbing in the locust. J Exp Biol 198:1963–1976

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dürr V (2001) Stereotypic leg searching-movements in the stick insect: kinematic analysis, behavioural context and simulation. J Exp Biol 204(9):1589–1604

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dürr V (2005) Context-dependent changes in strength and efficacy of leg coordination mechanisms. J Exp Biol 208(12):2253–2267

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dürr V, Ebeling W (2005) The behavioural transition from straight to curve walking: kinetics of leg movement parameters and the initiation of turning. J Exp Biol 208(12):2237–2252

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dürr V, Schmitz J, Cruse H (2004) Behaviour-based modelling of hexapod locomotion: linking biology and technical application. Arthropod Struct Dev 33(3):237–250

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ebeling W, Dürr V (2006) Perturbation of leg protraction causes context-dependent modulation of inter-leg coordination, but not of avoidance reflexes. J Exp Biol 209(11):2199–2214

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin R, Bell WJ, Jander R (1981) Rotational locomotion by the cockroach Blattella germanica. J Insect Physiol 27:249–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frantsevich L, Cruse H (1997) The stick insect, Obrimus asperrimus (Phasmida, Bacillidae) walking on different surfaces. J Insect Physiol 43:447–455

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frantsevich L, Cruse H (2005) Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae). J Insect Physiol 51:1092–1104

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frantsevich L, Mokrushov PA, Shumakova ID, Gorb SN (1996) Insect rope-walkers. Kinematics of walking on thin rods in a bug, Graphosoma italicum (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae). J Zool 238:713–724

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham D (1979) Effects of circum-oesophageal lesion on the behaviour of the stick insect Carausius. II. Changes in walking-coordination. Biol Cybern 32:147–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gruhn M, Zehl L, Büschges A (2009) Straight walking and turning on a slippery surface. J Exp Biol 212:194–209

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jander JP (1985) Mechanical stability in stick insects when walking straight and around curves. In: Gewecke M, Wendler G (eds) Insect locomotion, Paul Parey, Berlin, pp 33–42

  • Jindrich DL, Full RJ (1999) Many-legged maneuverability: dynamics of turning in Hexapods. J Exp Biol 202:1603–1623

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kindermann T (2002) Behavior and adaptability of a six-legged walking system with highly distributed control. Adaptive Behav 9:16–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubow TM, Full RJ (1999) The role of the mechanical system in control: a hypothesis of selfstabilisation in hexapedal runners. R Soc London 354:849–861

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye SW, Ritzmann RE (1992) Motion analysis of leg joints associated with escape turns of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana. J Comp Physiol A 171:183–194

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson KG (1972) Central programming and reflex control of walking in the cockroach. J Exp Biol 56:173–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson KG, Franklin R (1984) Charactersitics of leg movements and patterns of coordination in locusts walking on rough terrain. Intl J Robot Res 3:101–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn RD, Nelson GM, Bachmann RJ, Ritzmann RE (2001) Toward mission capable legged robots through biological inspiration. Autonomous Robots 11(3):215–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritzmann RE, Quinn RD, Fischer MS (2004) Convergent evolution and locomotion through complex terrain by insects, vertebrates and robots. Arthropod Struct Dev 33:361–379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosano H, Webb B (2007) A dynamic model of thoracic differentiation for the control of turning in the stick insect. Biol Cybern 97:229–446

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz J (1993) Load-compensating reactions in the proximal leg joints of stick insects during standing and walking. J Exp Biol 183:15–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz J, Hassfeld G (1989) The treading-on-tarsus reflex in stick insect, phase-dependence and modification of the motor output during walking. J Exp Biol 143:373–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz J, Schneider A, Schilling M, Cruse H (2008) No need for a body model: positive velocity feedback for the control of an 18-DOF robot walker. Appl Bionics Biomech 5(3):135–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider A, Cruse H, Schmitz J (2006) Decentralized control of elastic limbs in closed kinematic chains. Intl J Robot Res 25:913–930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schumm M, Cruse H (2006) Control of swing movement: influences of differently shaped substrate. J Comp Physiol A 192:1147–1164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson J, Ritzmann R, Zill S, Pollack A (2002) Control of obstacle climbing in the cockroach, Blaberus discoidales. I. Kinematics. J Comp Physiol A 188:39–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zolotov V, Frantsevich L, Falk EM (1975) Kinematik der phototaktischen Drehung bei der Honigbiene Apis mellifera. J Comp Physiol 97:339–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the EU IST project SPARK, by DFG grant Cr 58/11-1, and by the Center of Excellence “Cognitive Interaction Technology” no. 277. We also would like to thank two anonymous referees for their valuable contributions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    H. Cruse, I. Ehmanns, S. Stübner & Josef Schmitz

Authors
  1. H. Cruse
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. Ehmanns
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Stübner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Josef Schmitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josef Schmitz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cruse, H., Ehmanns, I., Stübner, S. et al. Tight turns in stick insects. J Comp Physiol A 195, 299–309 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0406-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0406-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation