Recent advances in the study of locomotor performance allow us to integrate the fields of behavior, physiology, and morphology to establish the relationship between performance limits and natural locomotor activity. The ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata, is particularly suited for such an integrative study. Laboratory studies of ghost crab locomotion have led to specific predictions about the speed and duration of natural movements. To test these predictions, the coPI will observe ghost crab locomotion in the field. The coPI will videotape crabs moving in their natural habitat and perform motion analysis to determine the velocity, duration and frequency of their movements. The coPI will test hypotheses about ghost crab locomotion predicted by continuous and intermittent exercise physiology. The field data collected in this study will be integrated with laboratory measurements of locomotor performance to determine where ghost crabs operate within their performance limits in nature. Such studies provide a basic understanding of the extent to which material conditions of existence press organisms towards their physiological limits, and therefore a basis for assessing effects of additional stresses due to environmental changes caused by human activities.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
9122559
Program Officer
Vincent P. Gutschick
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1992-08-01
Budget End
1993-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
$6,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Berkeley
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Berkeley
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94704