Biewener Andrew A
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Concord Field Station, Harvard University, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730, USA.
J Morphol. 2002 Apr;252(1):38-51. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10015.
New techniques and conceptual frameworks offer new challenges and exciting opportunities for research on the biomechanics and physiology of vertebrate musculoskeletal design and locomotor performance. Past research based on electromyography and two-dimensional kinematics has greatly advanced the field of vertebrate functional morphology. Studies using these approaches have revealed much about vertebrate structure and function and have emphasized the importance of incorporating historical and developmental constraint and ecological context. Continued use of these experimental tools, but with greater emphasis on three-dimensional analysis of body movement, in combination with 3D kinetics and flow visualization of fluid movement past moving organisms, can now take advantage of the considerable advances in computing power and digital video technology. Indeed, surprisingly few detailed 3D analyses of movement for many locomotor modes and differing organisms are presently available. A challenge of 3D analyses will be to reduce the complexity of the data obtained in order to identify general principles of movement and biomechanics. New techniques and approaches for measuring muscle forces and length changes, together with activation patterns and movement, under dynamic conditions of more varied motor behavior are now also available. These provide the opportunity to study the mechanics and physiology of muscle function at greater depth and under more realistic conditions than has been previously possible. The importance of studying intact, behaving organisms under a broader range of locomotor conditions (other than steady state) and in the context of their natural environment remains a critical need for vertebrate biologists. This provides the much-needed opportunity for placing advances at more cellular and molecular levels into the context of whole organism function. Hence, studies at the organismal level remain paramount.
新技术和概念框架为脊椎动物肌肉骨骼设计与运动表现的生物力学和生理学研究带来了新挑战和令人兴奋的机遇。过去基于肌电图和二维运动学的研究极大地推动了脊椎动物功能形态学领域的发展。使用这些方法的研究揭示了许多关于脊椎动物结构和功能的信息，并强调了纳入历史和发育限制以及生态背景的重要性。继续使用这些实验工具，但更加强调对身体运动的三维分析，结合三维动力学以及对流体绕过运动生物体的流动可视化，现在可以利用计算能力和数字视频技术的显著进步。事实上，目前针对许多运动模式和不同生物体的详细三维运动分析出奇地少。三维分析的一个挑战将是降低所获得数据的复杂性，以便确定运动和生物力学的一般原理。现在也有了在更多样化运动行为的动态条件下测量肌肉力量和长度变化以及激活模式和运动的新技术和方法。这些技术提供了比以往更深入、在更现实条件下研究肌肉功能力学和生理学的机会。在更广泛的运动条件（而非稳态）下以及在其自然环境背景下研究完整的、有行为能力的生物体，对于脊椎动物生物学家来说仍然是一项迫切需求。这为将细胞和分子水平的进展置于整个生物体功能的背景下提供了急需的机会。因此，在生物体水平上的研究仍然至关重要。
