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Switching skeletons: hydrostatic support in molting crabsSkeletal support systems are essential for support, movement, muscular antagonism, and locomotion. Crustaceans shed their rigid exoskeleton at each molt yet are still capable of forceful movement. We hypothesize that the soft water-inflated body of newly molted crabs may rely on a hydrostatic skeleton, similar to that of worms and polyps. We measured internal hydrostatic pressure and the force exerted during claw adduction and observed a strong correlation between force and hydrostatic pressure, consistent with hydrostatic skeletal support. This alternation between the two basic skeletal types may be widespread among arthropods.
Document ID
20040087600
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Taylor, Jennifer R A.
(University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States)
Kier, William M.
Walker, I. D.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
July 11, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Science
Volume: 301
Issue: 5630
ISSN: 0036-8075
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Non-NASA Center
NASA Discipline Life Sciences Technologies

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