Support & Locomotion Chapter 13

What is Physical Therapy?

I. Locomotion- self generated movement of an organism from place to place

A. Motile Organisms- capable of locomotion
B. Sessile Organisms- not capable of locomotion

C. ADVANTAGES of being Motile:

1. find food

2. find shelter

3. escape

4. find mates

II. Muscles & Skeleton

A. Exoskeleton- made of Chitin (compound made of polysaccharide) or calcium compounds; is located on outside of body enclosing soft parts

characteristics:
1. highly protective
2. limited movement
3. must be shed (does NOT grow)

examples: (many invertebrates) such as... insects, mollusks, lobsters

B. Endoskeleton- made of bone & cartilage; is located on inside of body

characteristics:
1. not as protective as exoskeleton
2. good for movement
3. grows with organism

examples: (all vertebrates) such as... reptiles, birds, mammals, amphibians

III. Locomotion in Protists

Amoeba uses pseudopods
Paramecium uses cilia
Euglena uses flagella
Algae (some) uses flagella

IV. ANIMALS

A. Locomotion in the Hydra

1. basically are sessile organisms that can somersault, glide & float on a bubble.

B. Locomotion in the Earthworm

1. Contain fluid in the body cavity which acts as a skeleton
2. SETAE are tiny bristles on the ventral (bottom) side that aids in movement by anchoring earthworm to ground so muscles can then contract.
3. Moves by shortening & lengthening its body: 1) to shorten; longitudinal muscles contract & circular muscles relax. 2) to lengthen; circular muscles contract & longitudinal muscles relax

C. Locomotion in the Grasshopper

1. Contain EXOSKELETON which is jointed, allows them to walk, jump, fly
2. Body has three divisions: head, thorax, & abdomen
3. All legs (3 pair) & wings (2 pair) attach to the thorax.

D. Locomotion in Humans

Contains ENOSKELETON
1. BONE- its functions include: support & protection of body structures, anchorage sites for muscle action, leverage for body movement, and production of blood cells in the marrow.
2. CARTILAGE- its functions include: pliable support, flexibility of joints, and cushioning effects in joints. Although the human skeleton mainly consists of bone, another type of connective tissue, cartilage, is also present. Cartilage is flexible, fibrous and elastic.

a) Adult: cartilage is found at the end of ribs, between vertebrae, at the ends of bones, & in the nose, ears, & trachea.
b) Embryo: cartilage makes up most of the embryo's skeleton. By adulthood most of this cartilage is replaced by bone.

3. MUSCLES- there are three major types of muscles in the human body: visceral muscles which are involuntary in action and smooth in appearance; cardiac muscles which are involuntary in action and striated in appearance; and skeletal muscles which are voluntary in action and striated in appearance.
Skeletal muscles which are controlled by the nervous system serve to move the bones in a coordinated manner. Muscles usually operate in pairs which include: extensors which extend limbs and flexors which return the limbs.
Vigorous activity of skeletal muscles may lead to an oxygen deficiency which can result in anaerobic respiration and a buildup of lactic acid. Lactic acid production is associated with fatigue.
4) LIGAMENTS are composed of tough elastic connective tissue. Ligaments connect the ends of bones at movable joints such as the elbow, fingers, knee & vertebral column.
5) TENDONS are composed of connective tissue. They are tough, inelastic, fibrous cords which attach muscles to bones.

Disorders with Locomotion

1. Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints.
2. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon usually at the bone juncture. This condition is common to athletes.

To treat these and other musculoskeletal disfunctions, physical therapy or a form of physical rehabilitation is required. Physical therapists and Athletic trainers handle these types of situations. Click to view the American Physical Therapy Association. Click to link to Athletic Trainers' Association. Some great overachievers accomplish both degrees. Rich Greco or Damien Buono are two special people who are Physical Therapists and an Athletic Trainers. Click a name to mail that person a question.

Biology Trivia

1. Metabolism, explained simplistically, can be divided into two components; one involves the building up of the tissues & organs of the body; the other involves the breaking down of substances to produce waste products. What are these two opposite processes called? answer

2. The muscle of what organ of the body continually contracts, causing it to quiver 30 to 60 times per second? answer

3. At birth, a baby has about 305 of these; due to fusion, an adult has only about 206. What are they? answer

4. Why do my muscles burn when I'm exercising? answer

5. How does ice help a sprained ankle or other injury? answer

6. Allison Lennox-Why are women more likely to develop Osteoporosis than men? answer

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