Summary
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1.
Removal of the myochordotonal organ from one or two walking legs produces no measurable differences in the mero-carpopodite (M-C) joint movements in those legs during walking.
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2.
Removal of the myochordotonal organs from all the walking legs produces a pronounced hyperflexion of the M-C joints of all the leading legs (20 to 50 degrees) and a slight hyperflexion of the trailing legs (10 to 20 degrees).
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3.
Animals with all myochordotonal organs removed were still able to walk against an applied load.
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4.
Animals from which myochordotonal organs had been removed walked more slowly than intact animals. The operated animals reacted to applied loads by increasing the firing frequency of the excitatory motoneurons to the power-stroke muscles.
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5.
Removal of the myochordotonal organs did not cause any change in the maximum frequency of motor output to powerstroke muscles. It was concluded that the myochordotonal organs do not function in the response to increased load, but do determine the end point of the flexion stroke.
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This work was supported by NSF grant GB30605 to W.H.E. and a post-doctoral fellowship to C.R.F. on NIH Training Grant HD00187 to the Laboratory for Quantitative Biology. We thank Penelope Melvin for her technical assistance throughout the course of this study.
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Fourtner, C.R., Evoy, W.H. Nervous control of walking in the crab,Cardisoma guanhumi . J. Comp. Physiol. 83, 319–329 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693682
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693682