The wings before the bird: an evaluation of flapping-based locomotory hypotheses in bird antecedents.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Powered flight is implicated as a major driver for the success of birds. Here we examine the effectiveness of three hypothesized pathways for the evolution of the flight stroke, the forelimb motion that powers aerial locomotion, in a terrestrial setting across a range of stem and basal avians: flap running, Wing Assisted Incline Running (WAIR), and wing-assisted leaping.

Methods

Using biomechanical mathematical models based on known aerodynamic principals and in vivo experiments and ground truthed using extant avians we seek to test if an incipient flight stroke may have contributed sufficient force to permit flap running, WAIR, or leaping takeoff along the phylogenetic lineage from Coelurosauria to birds.

Results

None of these behaviours were found to meet

SUBMITTER: Dececchi TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4941780 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature