Biomechanics of hydrostatic skeletons
Many animals and plants change shape and generate forces by inflating cylindrical fiber-wound structures either by muscular action or by osmotic swelling. We have studied the mechanical design of various hydrostatically-supported organisms, such as sea anemones and soft corals, have analyzed the microarchitecture and mechanical properties of the biomaterials from which they are built, and have assessed their mechanical performance in the field. We have also investigated the biomechanics of the hydrostatic notochords that straighten and elongate early frog embryos. Our present research employs physical models of hydraulic cylinders to investigate the consequences of different arrangements of the reinforcing fibers to the flexural stiffness, shape changes, and force production performance of hydraulic skeletons.
Selected references on this topic
- Koehl, M. A. R. (1977) Mechanical diversity of the connective tissue of the body wall of sea anemones. J. Exp. Biol. 69: 107-125.
- Koehl, M. A. R. (1982) Mechanical design of spicule-reinforced connective tissues: Stiffness. J. Exp. Biol. 98: 239-268.
- Hanken, J. and M. A. R. Koehl (1984) Technique for visualizing the three-dimensional architecture of spiculated animals. Stain Technol. 59: 65-69.
- Koehl, M. A. R., D. S. Adams, and R. E. Keller (1990) Mechancial development of the notochord in early tail-bud amphibian embryos. pp. 471-485. In, N. Akkas [ed.], Biomechanics of Active Movement and Deformation of Cells. Springer-Verlag.
- Adams, D. S., R. E. Keller, and M. A. R. Koehl (1990) Mechanism of straightening and elongation of the notochord of Xenopus laevis. Development. 110: 115-130.
- Koehl, M.A.R., K.J. Quillin, and C. Pell. (2000) Mechanical design of fiber-wound hydraulic skeletons: The stiffening and straightening of embryonic notochords. Am. Zool. 40: 28-41.
- Koehl, M. A. R. (2003) Physical modelling in biomechanics. Phil Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B. 358: 1589-1596.
- Wolgemuth, C. W., Y. Inclan, J. Quan, G. Oster and M. A. R. Koehl (2005) How to make a spiral bacterium. Physical Biology 2: 189-199.