Abstract
Balance is crucial during locomotion, and the challenges are largest in fast, agile and/or manoeuvrable animals. The vestibular system in the inner ear plays an important role in balance by sensing head movements. A popular line of research investigates anatomical adaptations of the vestibular system for enhanced sensitivity in agile animals. Yet, the actual effect of the observed anatomical features on sensitivity remains largely speculative. This project bridges all functional steps from vestibular anatomy to locomotor performance. First, I will quantify the effect of the anatomical differences on the vestibular sensitivity. The vestibular sense is used to stabilise the head during locomotion, so in a next step, I will test how increased vestibular sensitivity enhances head stabilisation in an experimental setup. Finally, I will assess whether a superior head stabilisation improves the locomotion performance and balance on runways of different levels of complexity. Because the balance requirements depend on the habitat complexity, locomotion style, and anatomy, this project takes an ecomorphological, comparative approach. By comparing lizard species that differ substantially in size, habitat, and agility, I will be able to assess the balance strategies of animals with different ecologies.
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