TY - JOUR
T1 - The biophysics of bird flight
T2 - Functional relationships integrate aerodynamics, morphology, kinematics, muscles, and sensors
AU - Altshuler, Douglas L.
AU - Bahlman, Joseph W.
AU - Dakin, Roslyn
AU - Gaede, Andrea H.
AU - Goller, Benjamin
AU - Lentink, David
AU - Segre, Paolo S.
AU - Skandalis, Dimitri A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, National Research Council of Canada, All Rights Reserved.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/10/24
Y1 - 2014/10/24
N2 - Bird flight is a remarkable adaptation that has allowed the approximately 10 000 extant species to colonize all terrestrial habitats on earth including high elevations, polar regions, distant islands, arid deserts, and many others. Birds exhibit numerous physiological and biomechanical adaptations for flight. Although bird flight is often studied at the level of aerodynamics, morphology, wingbeat kinematics, muscle activity, or sensory guidance independently, in reality these systems are naturally integrated. There has been an abundance of new studies in these mechanistic aspects of avian biology but comparatively less recent work on the physiological ecology of avian flight. Here we review research at the interface of the systems used in flight control and discuss several common themes. Modulation of aerodynamic forces to respond to different challenges is driven by three primary mechanisms: wing velocity about the shoulder, shape within the wing, and angle of attack. For birds that flap, the distinction between velocity and shape modulation synthesizes diverse studies in morphology, wing motion, and motor control. Recently developed tools for studying bird flight are influencing multiple areas of investigation, and in particular the role of sensory systems in flight control. How sensory information is transformed into motor commands in the avian brain remains, however, a largely unexplored frontier.
AB - Bird flight is a remarkable adaptation that has allowed the approximately 10 000 extant species to colonize all terrestrial habitats on earth including high elevations, polar regions, distant islands, arid deserts, and many others. Birds exhibit numerous physiological and biomechanical adaptations for flight. Although bird flight is often studied at the level of aerodynamics, morphology, wingbeat kinematics, muscle activity, or sensory guidance independently, in reality these systems are naturally integrated. There has been an abundance of new studies in these mechanistic aspects of avian biology but comparatively less recent work on the physiological ecology of avian flight. Here we review research at the interface of the systems used in flight control and discuss several common themes. Modulation of aerodynamic forces to respond to different challenges is driven by three primary mechanisms: wing velocity about the shoulder, shape within the wing, and angle of attack. For birds that flap, the distinction between velocity and shape modulation synthesizes diverse studies in morphology, wing motion, and motor control. Recently developed tools for studying bird flight are influencing multiple areas of investigation, and in particular the role of sensory systems in flight control. How sensory information is transformed into motor commands in the avian brain remains, however, a largely unexplored frontier.
KW - Aves
KW - Comparative biomechanics
KW - Neuromuscular control
KW - Visual guidance
KW - Wing morphing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84948799582&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1139/cjz-2015-0103
DO - 10.1139/cjz-2015-0103
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84948799582
VL - 93
SP - 961
EP - 975
JO - Canadian journal of zoology-Revue canadienne de zoologie
JF - Canadian journal of zoology-Revue canadienne de zoologie
SN - 0008-4301
IS - 12
ER -