Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Department

Biology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The hypertrophied musculoskeletal system driving adduction of Sealopus aquatieus's forelimb supports the locomotion of these burrowing subterranean mammals. Due to the excessive bulk of the major muscles contributing to this action, it was thought that this particular species may represent a rare case of a mammalian species with a greatly enhanced force contribution from each muscle, correlating with a reduction in the potential for the forelimb to adduct at a high velocity. By assessing the lever ratios of five significant muscles contributing to forelimb adduction, combined with vector analyses for the angles of these muscles' insertions, a model was established that represents all significant sources of force reduction along the path of transduction in the forelimb of Sealopus aquatieus.

Disciplines

Animal Sciences | Structural Biology

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