Summary: 285J. exp. Biol. 193, 285­305 (1994)
Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 1994
METAMORPHIC AND SPEED EFFECTS ON HINDLIMB
KINEMATICS DURING TERRESTRIAL LOCOMOTION IN
THE SALAMANDER DICAMPTODON TENEBROSUS
MIRIAM A. ASHLEY-ROSS
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Irvine,
Irvine, CA 92717, USA
Accepted 26 April 1994
Summary
The kinematics of the hindlimb during terrestrial treadmill locomotion in Dicamptodon
tenebrosus were compared between larval and metamorphosed individuals at different
speeds. Coordinates of marker points on the salamander's midline, pelvic girdle and left
hindlimb were digitized from high-speed videos (200fields s 1). These yielded kinematic
variables describing trunk flexion, pelvic girdle rotation, femoral protraction/retraction
and knee flexion/extension. A three-way analysis of variance tested for mean differences
among individuals, speeds and metamorphic stages for each variable. No significant
overall effects of metamorphosis were found, although several variables showed
significant stage individual effects. Multivariate analyses revealed that the variance in
kinematics of the larvae was significantly greater than that of the metamorphosed

Source: Ashley-Ross, Miriam A. - Department of Biology, Wake Forest University

Collections: Environmental Sciences and Ecology; Biology and Medicine