Elastic mechanisms in animals
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Elastic mechanisms in animals are very important in the movement of vertebrate animals. The muscles that control vertebrate locomotion are affiliated with tissues that are springy, such as tendons, which lie within the muscles and connective tissue. A spring can be a mechanism for different actions involved in hopping, running, walking, and serve in other diverse functions such as metabolic energy conservation, attenuation of muscle power production, and amplification of muscle power production.[1]
When a body is running, walking or hopping, it uses springs as a way to store energy which indicates that elastic mechanisms have a great influence on its dynamics.[2] When a force is applied to a spring it bends and stores energy in the form of elastic strain energy and when it recoils after the force has been released, this energy is released as well.[1] Elastic proteins provide the property of elasticity which gives the spring the ability to bend reversibly without the loss of energy, and the ability to bend to large strains with small force.[3] Elastic proteins also contain high resilience and low stiffness which helps with the function of elastic strain energy.
While running, tendons are able to reduce the metabolic rate of muscle activity by reducing the volume of the muscle that is active to produce force. The timing of muscle activation is very important for utilizing the mechanical and energetic benefits of tendon elasticity.[4] Power attenuation by the use of the tendons can allow the muscle-tendon system the ability to absorb energy at a rate beyond the muscles maximum capacity to absorb energy. Power amplification mechanisms are able to work because the spring and muscles contain different intrinsic limits of power. Muscles in a skeletal system can be limited in their maximum power production. Power amplification by the use of the tendons allows the muscle to produce power beyond the muscle's capacity.[1] The mechanical functions of tendons contain a structural basis and are not subjected to limitation of power production.