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Legs evolved only at the end!

Martin S Fischer1, Hartmut Witte

  • 1Institut fuer Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem, Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany. martin.fischer@uni-jena.de

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences
|December 7, 2006
PubMed
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Legged locomotion evolved late in animal phylogeny. Vertebrate neural control of legs adapts ancient axial locomotion systems, challenging the idea that legs are perfectly evolved for movement.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Comparative Biomechanics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Legged locomotion is often assumed to be an ancient, highly adapted trait in animals.
  • Robotics frequently seeks to emulate animal locomotion, viewing legs as ideal.
  • The evolutionary timeline and neural control of legged locomotion are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the notion of perfectly adapted legged locomotion in animals.
  • To investigate the late evolutionary appearance of legs in arthropods and vertebrates.
  • To analyze the neural control of vertebrate legs in the context of axial locomotion.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of leg evolution.
  • Comparative study of locomotion in vertebrates with and without legs.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of neural control mechanisms for limb movement.

    • Main Results:

    • Legs evolved relatively late in the evolutionary history of both arthropods and vertebrates.
    • Vertebrate neural control systems for legs are constrained by older structures designed for axial locomotion.
    • Axial propulsion remains a significant factor in locomotion even in legged vertebrates.

    Conclusions:

    • The evolution of legged locomotion is a more recent event than commonly assumed.
    • Robotic designs may need to reconsider the 'perfectly adapted' model of animal legs.
    • Understanding the interplay between axial and appendicular locomotion is crucial for biomechanics and robotics.