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Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ford, MP; Ray, WJ; DiLuca, EM; Patek, SN; Santhanakrishnan, A
Published in: Integrative and comparative biology
November 2021

Numerous aquatic invertebrates use drag-based metachronal rowing for swimming, in which closely spaced appendages are oscillated starting from the posterior, with each appendage phase-shifted in time relative to its neighbor. Continuously swimming species such as Antarctic krill generally use "pure metachronal rowing" consisting of a metachronal power stroke and a metachronal recovery stroke, while burst swimming species such as many copepods and mantis shrimp typically use "hybrid metachronal rowing" consisting of a metachronal power stroke followed by a synchronous or nearly synchronous recovery stroke. Burst swimming organisms need to rapidly accelerate in order to capture prey and/or escape predation, and it is unknown whether hybrid metachronal rowing can augment acceleration and swimming speed compared to pure metachronal rowing. Simulations of rigid paddles undergoing simple harmonic motion showed that collisions between adjacent paddles restrict the maximum stroke amplitude for pure metachronal rowing. Hybrid metachronal rowing similar to that observed in mantis shrimp (Neogonodactylus bredini) permits oscillation at larger stroke amplitude while avoiding these collisions. We comparatively examined swimming speed, acceleration, and wake structure of pure and hybrid metachronal rowing strategies by using a self-propelling robot. Both swimming speed and peak acceleration of the robot increased with increasing stroke amplitude. Hybrid metachronal rowing permitted operation at larger stroke amplitude without collision of adjacent paddles on the robot, augmenting swimming speed and peak acceleration. Hybrid metachronal rowing generated a dispersed wake unlike narrower, downward-angled jets generated by pure metachronal rowing. Our findings suggest that burst swimming animals with small appendage spacing, such as copepods and mantis shrimp, can use hybrid metachronal rowing to generate large accelerations via increasing stroke amplitude without concern of appendage collision.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Integrative and comparative biology

DOI

EISSN

1557-7023

ISSN

1540-7063

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

61

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1619 / 1630

Related Subject Headings

  • Swimming
  • Invertebrates
  • Extremities
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Animals
  • Acceleration
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Ford, M. P., Ray, W. J., DiLuca, E. M., Patek, S. N., & Santhanakrishnan, A. (2021). Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 61(5), 1619–1630. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab141
Ford, Mitchell P., William J. Ray, Erika M. DiLuca, S. N. Patek, and Arvind Santhanakrishnan. “Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude.Integrative and Comparative Biology 61, no. 5 (November 2021): 1619–30. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab141.
Ford MP, Ray WJ, DiLuca EM, Patek SN, Santhanakrishnan A. Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude. Integrative and comparative biology. 2021 Nov;61(5):1619–30.
Ford, Mitchell P., et al. “Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude.Integrative and Comparative Biology, vol. 61, no. 5, Nov. 2021, pp. 1619–30. Epmc, doi:10.1093/icb/icab141.
Ford MP, Ray WJ, DiLuca EM, Patek SN, Santhanakrishnan A. Hybrid Metachronal Rowing Augments Swimming Speed and Acceleration via Increased Stroke Amplitude. Integrative and comparative biology. 2021 Nov;61(5):1619–1630.
Journal cover image

Published In

Integrative and comparative biology

DOI

EISSN

1557-7023

ISSN

1540-7063

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

61

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1619 / 1630

Related Subject Headings

  • Swimming
  • Invertebrates
  • Extremities
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Animals
  • Acceleration
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology